The Truth Serum
by ruby-soldiers
Summary: After Ward tells Skye that he'll never lie to her again, she decides that she can use him to answer a burning question in her mind from what seems like a lifetime ago. Is there or is there not a truth serum? Based before Ward escapes. Skyeward *LONG SINCE DISCONTINUED*
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: After Ward tells sky that he'll never lie to her again, she decides that she can use him to answer a burning question in her mind from what seems like a lifetime ago. Based before Ward escapes. Skyeward**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Agents of SHIELD or any of it's characters, although I wish I owned a monkey...and the Fitz that comes with it**

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"Skye's Hydra Boyfriend" Hunter had called him. Was that true? Sure, Ward had admitted his feelings for her before Skye's world came crashing down. Before Hydra had stepped out of the shadows.

But what could you believe at this point? Certainly not Ward, right? He'd betrayed them all. Spilling out lies and gaining their trust for months. But, the way he'd looked at her, she thought, did seem entirely genuine. Then again, everything he did seemed genuine until she found out it was all a hoax.

_How can you tell when someone is lying or not, _Skye thought, _when he might not even know himself?_

Though she would never openly admit it, Skye partially sided with Fitz. She believe that Ward did care for them, at some point.

She tried to think back to the good old days, where they were taking what S.H.I.E.L.D. would call average missions. Having debriefings together where Fitz would always bring up the solution of a trained monkey of some sort. All of it seemed so trivial now.

But thinking back that far Skye reminded of the first day she'd meet Agent Grant Ward.

_The truth serum_

He'd spilled his little heart out to her that day, but later claimed that it was all an act, that S.H.I.E.L.D. didn't really have a truth serum. Ward said that he everything he would say to her from now on, would be the truth.

_Maybe it's time to test that, _Skye thought.

She grabbed the tablet from the lab where Fitzsimmons worked silently in on opposite sides of the room. Skye didn't know the full details of what happened with them, at the bottom of the ocean, but whatever it was, it changed them.

"I'm taking this. I... Need to get some more info from Ward." Skye said, unsure if they'd interject for any reason.

Simultaneously Jemma and Leo said "That's fine. Bring it back once you're done."

They made eye contact which was quickly separated. Simmons gave Skye a sad smile and said "Take as long as you'd like."

Once Skye reached the door labeled **Vault D** she took a deep breath.

_I can do this. _She thought, but could she?

She opened the door and crept down the dark stairwell. The wall in front of Ward's cell in opaque mode.

Once she was sitting in the uncomfortable, sterile metal chair, she made the wall clear.

Ward was somehow already waiting for her. He smiled, though to Skye it seemed more like the smile of the Cheshire's cat's grin, she ignored it.

"I knew you couldn't resist info about your fathe-", he began.

"I'm not here for that, Ward. I have a question and you have the answer. You swore never to lie to me? Prove it."

Ward looked sceptical. "What is your question?"

Skye looked him straight in the eye, something she didn't enjoy. It gave her a weird feeling she couldn't explain. "Is there or is there not a truth serum?"

Grant did something she thought she never see him do again. He _laughed_.

"_That's _what you want to know? Of all things?" He asked

"I know an opportunity when I see one." Skye tried to keep a poker face. She couldn't just tell him that all the other questions she wanted to ask him were just too painful.

He smiled at her. A sweet genuine smile that twisted Skye's heart in knots. A smile that somehow made her want to smile back and slap it right off his face at the same time.

_Ugh this is complicated._

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**Hi! I hope you liked it so far, it's my first fic (as if you couldn't tell). Tell me what you think the verdict should be. Does QNB-T16 exist? Tell me if you enjoyed and sorry if there are some wacky mistakes of any sort. It's 3 a.m. but I tend to write the best when sleep deprived. Love ya! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey y'all! You all seemed to have like the first chapter so I decided to continue. A reader pointed out something that really helped me with this chapter so I'd just want to thank them. Enjoy my lovelies!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Agents of SHIELD or any of it's characters, although I wish I owned a monkey...and the Fitz that comes with it**

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Ward's smile fell and he sighed. "I thought I was prepared for anything you were going to ask me. I was not prepared for this."

Instinctively she made a joke out of it.

"Gotta keep you on your toes, Soldier," and immediately regretted it.

Ward didn't laugh this time. He looked at her very thoughtfully. Skye suddenly felt self conscious with his deep brown eyes seeming to capture her and all of her presence and go right through her, as if she wasn't there. Feeling the heat radiating off her face she said, "Ward. Are you going to answer or not?"

Ward rubbed his hands together and sat down on his gray cott, the sheets so perfect it looked like they'd been ironed. Skye temporarily wondered if that was some odd thing they taught you at Operations.

"Yes, Skye there is a truth serum."

Again, without thinking Skye said, "Yes! I knew it!"

Ward looked surprised at her outburst. His eyes widened, then softened.

"I've missed you," he said.

It was Skye's turn to have her eyes widen. "Grant," she said quietly, "don't. _Please_."

He looked up at her with eyes that were like a puppy's about to be punished. It broke down your walls and your determination. But Skye refused to be wavered. She shouldn't. She wouldn't. She _couldn't_.

Skye spun on her heel and headed for the stairwell.

"SHIELD does have a truth drug. A very powerful one. But that's not what Coulson injected into me. He gave me the prototype," Ward said quickly in an attempt to get her to stay.

Skye's right foot was already on the first step but she paused.

"But what you said to me…" She started

"Most of it was due to the drug. But I knew it wasn't the real almighty truth serum. I'd heard of that one before. QNB-T20 is the most up to date truth drug, I got QNB-T16. I might've exaggerated everything a bit."

Skye let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and let go of the stairwell railing. Then giggled a bit.

Ward raised an eyebrow in question.

"Oh good. I thought you really called your grandma 'Gramsie'," she said with still a sprinkle of laughter in her words.

Ward's expression turned into an annoyance that almost that hurt her. Not that she cared about annoying Ward but it hurt to see such a familiar expression on his handsome face.

"I do call her that," he said in a tone of voice that matched his expression.

Skye's smile dropped. "Oh. Well this is awkward. I probably should just leave now…" she said as she gestured towards the door.

"Skye, wait." He said, his tone suddenly urgent.

Skye's large brown eyes bore into his and returned the unexplainable feeling. "Yes, Ward?"

"I know it's a lot to ask after all I've done," he began, "But will you come see me again? Tomorrow?"

She knew what the answer should be. She should've said no. But Skye was never very good at following rules.

She grinned mischievously, "Maybe."

Grant grinned back at her in a lopsided fashion.

_Of course it just has to get even more complicated. Ugh._

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**I hope you enjoyed. My week has been absolutely made with all the reviews, favorites, and follows that I've gotten from you guys! Thank you so much! Do you like what I did with the truth serum? Do you think Skye should see him again and if so, what should happen next? If you have any suggestions feel free to PM me or leave it as a review. Love ya! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello lovelies! I'm honestly having the best week ever with every email I get from fanfiction. ARG! I can't even. Thanks you guys! I'm also thinking about starting a Fitzsimmons story because I ship them more than I breathe but I'm fresh out of ideas. If you've got any suggestions let me know! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Agents of SHIELD or any of it's characters, although I wish I owned a monkey...and the Fitz that comes with it**

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"To go or not to go; that is the question," Skye mumbled to herself.

It had been 21 hours since Skye had gone to see Grant. She'd counted every one of them. She walked back and forth in her room. She'd acted sassy and confident when she responded to Ward but she was nervous and indecisive. She knew she shouldn't go see him again. She probably shouldn't have seen him in the first place to ask that question.

That _stupid_ question, she thought.

But she wanted to see him. The feeling she got when their eyes met was unexplainable and exhilarating but she couldn't tell if she felt like she was flying or drowning.

"Knock, knock," a british voice called from the doorway, "You look stressed."

Skye spun to face Simmons. "Uh, what? No. Well, maybe. No," she stumbled out.

Jemma looked at Skye with an expression that could only be read as sympathy. "Is this about you going to see Ward yesterday? Did something happen down there?"

Skye sighed and slumped down on her bed. "I don't even know what happened, Simmons. Do you remember what he said when we were in Peru?"

"That you had no purpose or job to do?"

"No, that SHIELD doesn't have a truth serum, like the one Coulson injected into him on the day I first came here,"

"Oh! Yes. That one."

"Well, I thought that maybe I could ask him, you know, with him never lying to me again and everything."

Simmons seemed to ponder this, finally saying, "Did you find what you were looking for?"

"I left with more questions than answers. He asked to see me again. Jemma, what do I do?"

The other agent sighed. She looked exhausted, like she hadn't slept in days. Skye wondered if it had to do with what happened between her and Fitz. "I know what I've said about...About _him_ but I believe that he does care for you Skye. He is a horrible man who's done horrible things but that could just be the man that Garret created. Dig deeper, Skye. Find who he really is."

Skye looked up at her friend. "Thank you."

Simmons smiled and put a hand on Skye's shoulder. "Just don't get hurt. Be careful. I'll go fetch the tablet from the lab."

**Ward's POV**

It had been about a day until his solid looking white wall once again became clear. Her brown eyes were thoughtful and unsure staring back him. He was lying in his "bed" which felt more like a cardboard box but when he saw her he sat up.

"You came back," he stated in near disbelief.

She only nodded and saying nothing, sat down in the silver chair.

"So…" She began, "what now?"

Ward chuckled. "I'm not sure. I didn't think we'd get this far. I honestly wasn't expecting you to come back."

"I wasn't planning on coming back." She said her gaze never leaving his.

"What changed your mind?" Ward questioned.

"Curiosity. So, why am I here Ward? What do you want?" She asked, a proudness setting over her beauty.

"I want to spend time with you, Skye. To get to know you. For you to get to know me. I just want to be near you."

"Ward, please…" She began but he was too determined.

"No ,Skye. You need to understand that-"

"No, Grant. _You_ need to understand. You and your the evil overlord people you work for have ruined my life. Turned it upside down and inside out. _You killed Eric and dumped Fitzsimmons in the middle of the ocean!_ I can't just ignore that!" Skye yelled out.

"And I don't expect you to Skye!" He yelled back at equal volume. He took a deep breath and began again in a normal voice. "I don't expect you to."

"Then why am I here because let's just say those are some major turn offs." She said her eyebrows furrowed in rage or confusion, Ward didn't know.

"Where," she said, "do we go from here?"

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**Well once again it is super late at night and here I am watching Pocahontas on Netflix and writing fanfiction because that is what a fangirl does at 1:30 am. Duh. Well I hoped you enjoyed and if you have any suggestions or comments feel free to leave them for me. Where should Ward and Skye go from here? How can they make this work? Goodbye my lovelies! **


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys! It's new chapter time! Sorry if my updating schedule is a bit wacky but I'm trying to get enough readers to keep you guys coming back for more! This chapter is dedicated to Serenity Shadowstar for their PM full of some great ideas. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Agents of SHIELD or any of it's characters, although I wish I owned a monkey...and the Fitz that comes with it**

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**Skye's POV**

"Where," she said, "Do we go from here?"

Ward finally looked back up at her and his expression was so full of sadness and desperation that it cracked Skye's fortitude. The fierce look in her eyes softened a bit.

"I just don't know what to do," she sighed.

Ward looked down and wouldn't meet her eyes. He murmured something Skye didn't understand.

"I can't hear you when you're talking to the ground, Grant," she said.

"It was supposed to float," he whispered.

"Wait, what?" Skye asked, clearly very confused.

His voice low, though no longer a whisper he said, "The storage container that Fitzsimmons was in. They're built to float."

_Did that mean that he had actually tried to save them? _she wondered

Skye was almost speechless.

_Almost._

"Then why didn't it?" She asked.

"I have no clue. I'm the brawn, not the brains. You'll have to ask Fitzsimmons for that." He sighed. "I'm sorry for what I had to do, Skye. It was my only chance to save them."

Skye could feel another burst of rage come about her but she suppressed it. She stayed as calm as she could as she said, "It wasn't the only way. It wasn't your only chance. You could've killed Garrett right then and there. You could've taken down the clairvoyant like you did the false one. He ordered Quinn to shoot me!"

"That wasn't my call! Do you really think I had a say in that? I would never hurt you!" he yelled, although he didn't look angry. No, not angry. _Desperate._

Skye brought her knees to her chest by putting her feet on the chair with her and buried her face in her hands. "But you already have."

Skye didn't know how long she stayed like that. It could've been seconds or minutes or hours. All she knew is that it felt like a lifetime before she heard Ward.

"Skye."

There was so much power in her name, and for the first time she could hear every emotion. Frustration, regret, longing, _love._

That last thought made her lift her head. Ward couldn't love, right? She thought of Mike Peterson and his adorable son. She thought of Fitzsimmons and everyone he had ever help hurt. Surely someone who has caused so much pain could not love anyone…

"Earth to Skye? Hello? Skye are you okay?" She heard Grant's voice saying, pulling her out of her thoughts.

"Sorry, thinking," she said numbly, still not meeting his gaze.

"What were you thinking?" he asked, sounding genuinely concerned.

Skye looked up suddenly. "I think I need to go. Now."

She bolted for the staircase, almost leaving the tablet behind. Her finger was 0.99 cm away from making the wall opaque when she heard him say, "Are you coming back?"

She pressed the button that blocked she and Ward from hearing and seeing one another. She sighed.

"I don't know."

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**I've just concluded that no ship is without complication on this show. Ugh. I'm scared for Tuesday, what about you? Well I hope you enjoyed, I'm really enjoying writing this. I love reading your reviews so keep em coming please! What do you think should happen next? Should she tell anyone? I was thinking Jemma but who do you think she should confide to? Bye my lovelies! **


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys! Look how far we've come. Gosh I feel like my brain has been deep fried in Agents of SHIELD. And yet...I'm enjoying it! Just like I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Agents of SHIELD or any of it's characters, although I wish I owned a monkey...and the Fitz that comes with it**

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Back and forth. Back and forth. Back and forth. Back and forth...

Skye's pacing was only interrupted by Fitz as he popped his head in to say, "Hi, uh, um. Oh! May says that you need to stop your uh," He gestured at her, "Pacing. You're creating a draft."

Skye sighed heavily and sat down on her bed, although saying "sat" was generous. It was more of a flop.

"Fitz? You know a lot about the equipment on the bus, right?" she asked.

"Well, uh, yes I suppose that, uh, I do, yeah," he stuttered out.

"Aren't the storage containers designed to float?"

This seemed to spark his interest. "Well, yes. I didn't imagine that you would be, uh, be aware of that."

Skye knew she was walking on eggshells so she tried to be gentle when she asked, "What about the one you and Simmons fell in?"

"Oh well the uh, the uh, um…." he snapped his fingers and looked expectantly at Skye.

"I can't help you here, dude. Sorry. Do you want me to go grab Simmons?" she asked.

"No! No. That's uh, that's ok. Don't get Jemma. I'll just have to explain after I can get over…" He trailed off gesturing towards his head.

Skye tried to play it off like she did everything else. With humor. She put her hand on his forearm and said, "It's okay, Leo. I probably would not have understood it anyways, right? That's why you're the smart one in this friendship."

He chuckled and nodded and walked off mumbling things Skye could quite hear. She hoped he would be okay.

"He'll be okay, Skye," the familiar British voice sounded from outside the door, as if reading her mind.

"Simmons? We're you spying?" she asked.

"What? No. Well maybe. Yes."

"This is why we don't let you be the one in charge of the lying." Skye chuckled.

"Yes, that's May and Coulson's job. And Ward's. Well it was his job."

"Yeah, about that…" Skye started, not sure how to tell her.

"Oh no. What did you do? No wonder you were pacing."

"I just went to see him again. And…"

"And?" Jemma questioned.

"We argued. I left in a flash. I'm so confused, Simmons," Skye said.

"Skye," Simmons began, "Ward, he's a horrible person. He's done horrible things. We trusted him, cared for him when he was constantly living a lie. He took advantage of us, making us imagine some magical Clairvoyant when Ward was just feeding information about us to Garrett. For god's sake he dropped me and my best friend out of a plane and into the ocean. The man he worked side by side with has caused us so much pain. You got shot, Mike Peterson and Akela Amador had their lives ruined. I will never forgive him for what he's done. I hate him."

Skye was surprised. Simmons had always been the one to look for the best in people. She was probably the kindest out of the team, or at least what remained of it.

"But that doesn't mean that you have to. Love is forgiveness. Just know that he will probably always be in a SHIELD facility. You will always have to live with what Ward has done. We all will but if you really feel the way I think you do about him then you have to be the one to forgive him. Let him explain," she said.

Skye thought about this for a moment. Could she forgive Ward? The was so much wrong and evil that the scales had been drastically unbalanced. Did it really have to be up to her alone to forgive him. And what if he couldn't explain? What if he didn't care about the things he had done but just wanted to use Skye in hopes of escaping?

"But," Jemma started, "I would recommend waiting a few days before you see him. You shouldn't make any rash decisions. That, and playing hard to get can be fun."

Simmons tried to wink at her but winking was never her strong suit. She looked like she was having some kind of facial convulsions. Skye grinned and chuckled a bit.

"Thanks, Simmons. Really. I'm glad we're friends. Just...don't try and wink anymore or I might have to call in Coulson to get you some medical attention.

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**Ok. Ummm. Hi. Mission Chapter 5: Complete? Cool. Leave a review to make me smile!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6. Wow. Didn't think I'd get this far. And it's all thanks to you guys! Enjoy, lovelies!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Agents of SHIELD or any of it's characters, although I wish I owned a monkey...and the Fitz that comes with it**

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Ward blew it. He knew he would never get to see her face again, and one of the last memories he had of it would be of it buried in her lap, obviously distraught and saddened. He would never see her large brown eyes again. Never see her fierce bravery, her easy beauty, her charming wit. He was a fool who had made a foolish mistake, and he knew it.

It had been least 24 hours since she had hastily run out unexpectedly. Ward had no clock but he had become more aware of his internal clock over the years. He almost didn't care how long it had been, he just knew that every moment that she was gone after her frantic exit felt like a lifetime. But he had to hope. He had to hope that she'd give him a chance, any sort of chance.

Seeing her made the imprisonment bearable. They were in the worst possible situation and yet, she could some how make him laugh**. **There was a high tech barrier between them but she seemed to be able to break through it with just her gaze. Being with her felt like being on the other side, like escaping for just a few minutes…

This made Ward realize that he would never escape again, in any sense. He was now forever trapped in his little black box. He would never see the sun again, because Skye was his sun. She was his sun, and his moon, and his stars. She had become his only priority. And Ward blew it.

Skye had never been good at being patient. She tended to pace when stressed or worried. She made jokes in bad situations and sometimes felt like she liked the internet and technology more than people. And she'd never liked these things about herself. She like Ward brought out every single one of them even less.

Skye sat on the couch to avoid pacing. Her laptop was open, Tumblr staring back at her. She had been subconsciously biting her lip, but she only realized when she tasted the sweet, metallic liquid in her mouth. She mentally smack herself. Never in her life had she been _so _stressed over a boy. Not even when she'd been caught half dressed by May with a member of the Rising Tide.

She was never this stressed because she had always known what she wanted. It was different with Grant. Around him she doubted herself. Half of her hated him with a burning passion, while the other half wanted to take down the walls, both physical and emotional, and run into his arms. She thought of A.C., who would no doubt have an interesting reaction to her meetings with Ward.

She knew that none of this ever should have happened. She should never have gone to him in the first place over something so childish. She _definitely _shouldn't have gone to see him the second time. Visits with him were like going to touch a dancing flame. Fascinating to look at, to imagine. But also like fire, Skye knew the consequences would end with pain.

And yet, she could still feel her metaphorical hand reaching out to touch the white hot flame that was Grant Ward.

Waiting until the next day to see him was difficult, but Skye was glad Simmons had suggested it. This was a delicate situation (to say the least) and she couldn't afford to make rash decisions. She didn't know what she and Ward were going to talk about but, at the moment, that seemed like the least of her worries. Which meant it was a distraction, which was what Skye needed.

When she was suddenly struck with the idea she knew she would need Simmons' help….

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**Sorry I haven't updated in a few day. My grades sucked so I didn't have my laptop. Sorry if there are some sloppy mistakes, I'm typing as fast as I can. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! **


	7. Chapter 7

**What is that upon the horizon? It's a new chapter! Hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Agents of SHIELD or any of it's characters, although I wish I owned a monkey...and the Fitz that comes with it**

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Skye walked down the steps into **Vault D** with the tablet in hand. Simmons had helped her with the minor modifications to the software and sent her on her way. It had been two days since she last saw him and she couldn't tell if she was nervous or excited. She just knew that every nerve in her body felt like it was on fire.

She stared at his wall for quite some time. She took a deep breath and tapped on the tablet.

The first thing she saw was his broad shoulder hunched over. His elbows were resting on his knees as he sat on the edge of his bed, his face enclosed in his hands. When his head shot up and his gaze engulfed her Skye gasped. His eyes were red and had dark bags underneath them, as if he hadn't slept. His hair was unruly like he's been running his hands through it. And, though an odd detail, Skye saw that his sheets were unmade and wrinkled; it was something she had yet to see until now.

In shorter words: he looked like shit.

Skye was about to tell him as much when he ran up to the clear wall and pressed his hands up against it, as if he'd forgotten it was there.

"You came back," he said in disbelief.

"I did," she said simply.

He looked at her for a long moment, as if he were mapping and memorizing her face.

"I'll be honest," he began, "I didn't think I'd see you again."

"I made something for you," was all she said and began tapping away at the tablet. Eventually words took up half of the once translucent wall.

"What is this?" Ward questioned with a furrowed brow.

"A book. I figured we could read together, but I couldn't give you a physical one. Knowing you, you'd somehow make some kind of crazy ninja star out of it and escape. I have uploaded quite a selection for you to choose from. Take your pick."

She brought up the selection with the cook covers and titles and after going through pages of them Ward said:

"There. 'To Kill a Mockingbird'."

Skye raised an eyebrow at him but selected it and set the tablet down. Once she was situated in her chair Ward asked her, "What are you reading?"

Skye didn't respond but held up "The Help".

"You can turn the page by doing this,"Skye said as she displayed the wave-like hand motion.. "The biosigniture monitors can read the gesture at any angle."

Skye opened her book, in which she was about halfway, and before she could begin reading Ward started speaking.

"And Skye?" she said.

"Yes?" she enquired.

"Thank you. For this. For coming back."

Skye blinked. It was an oddly kind thing of him to say and she couldn't help a small smile as she said, "You're welcome, Grant."

Skye had been in **Vault D **for at least an hour. They had both said very little, though Skye kept catching Ward gazing at her.

Then of course she began to cry. Skye hated crying, but when Aibileen was saying goodbye to Mae Mobley she couldn't help it.

"Skye? Skye, are you okay?" Ward asked in a worried voice.

"Yeah. I'm just uh, sweating through my eyes."

There was a pause.

"Did you just quote a Disney cartoon?" he chuckled.

"Did you just _understand_ a quote from a Disney cartoon?" she countered back.

They both burst into laughter. She liked the way Ward looked when he laughed. It transformed his face and even his general aura. But his laughter was cut short. Skye looked to see that the wall was once again opaque. The tablet was missing from it's place but what worried Skye the most was who had it. She looked to her right to see Coulson with the tablet in his grip.

"My office. Now."

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**Dun dun duuuuuuh. I hope you liked this chapter. Whoever is the first to guess which show that quote is from gets the next chapter dedicated to them! Also I realized while I was typing this into the computer that I think the wall is actually supposed to shock Ward if he tries to touch it but we're going to pretend like that isn't a thing. What should Coulson say about this? Will he tell the team? Leave me suggestions, question, and comments and I'll see you next time! **


	8. Chapter 8

**This chapter is dedicated to silverslitherer for guessing the quote from the last chapter. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Agents of SHIELD or any of it's characters, although I wish I owned a monkey...and the Fitz that comes with it**

**PLEASE READ: this is just a rewrite of the last previous chapter which I didn't like parts of. I'll be posting the new chapter later today. If you read the last chapter you don't really need to read this one, it's got the same plot, I just tweaked some places. Enjoy all you new people!**

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"How many times?"

"How many what?" Skye asked back to Coulson. She had been sitting across from him at his desk for about 20 minutes now. He wouldn't let her speak or defend herself, he just sat there looking like he was in deep thought. Whenever Skye would try to speak up he would hold up a hand that basically said "shut up,I'm thinking". So she waited and waited…until now.

"How many times have you gone into Vault D without permission or supervision?" Coulson asked again.

Skye sighed. "This was the third."

He pinched the bridge of his nose, an action that Skye was very familiar with. It was something all most of her foster parents did growing up and it always meant nothing good was ahead.

"Skye, what you did was unnecessary, irresponsible, dangerous, and frankly just a stupid idea. Ward is in there for a reason. For many reasons!"

"I know, sir," she said quietly.

He sighed. "I understand your need for answers but this is not the way to get them."

Skye looked at the ground. She had known this was going to happen. She just didn't think it would happen so soon. She thought of Ward, who must've guessed by now that something was wrong. She realized that this was the second time in a row that she had left without saying goodbye. She wondered if she would ever get the opportunity again.

Skye didn't have anything to say. She simply looked toward the floor. She didn't know what to say to defend herself because Coulson was right. It was a stupid idea the first time, and she'd done it twice more. A fact that just made her feel extra stupid. But there was one thing she knew she needed to say.

"I'm sorry," she said.

Coulson sighed. "It's not your fault, but this is Ward's punishment. Giving him books and a pretty face for company is not what he deserves."

"What he deserves is a matter of opinion. I'm sure May thinks his punishment is death."

His sigh was somewhat of reward for Skye. It meant she was right.

"That may or may not be true but we all know what he's done. We all wear the scars of it everyday. We can't let that man hurt anyone else," Coulson said.

"I know that. I know he's a murderer. I know he's Hydra. He's a monster and a traitor and I know that!" She took a breath. "But I also know that he cared about us, about our team."

"He shot an innocent man that he knew wasn't the real Clairvoyant," he countered.

"Because Garrett probably told him to, so that we'd be given a false sense of security. Grant's a soldier, he follows orders," she said, not even sure who she was defending at this point, Ward or herself.

"You're calling him Grant now?" Coulson questioned.

She had been calling him that more often lately, she realized.

"That's beside the point," she said.

"I don't care," he said. "You're forbidden to go back to Vault D without me or May with you."

"Couls-," she began.

"Nope. No but's. You are not to go into Vault D from here on out,"

Skye said nothing in response.

"And I will be keeping this," he said, picking up the tablet which was resting on his desk between them.

"I'm sorry, A.C."

He finally looked at her with the kind eyes she had become so accustomed to. "I just need to ensure your safety. And everyone else's."

He nodded signaling her to leave and she walked out in silence.

Her ceiling at a crack in it.

These were things Skye tended to notice as she layed in her bed staring at the ceiling. There was once crack, a small stain, and what could've possibly been a spider web. That probably would've worried her at any other moment but she was deep in thought.

She had come up with 2 ways to see Ward again. That was no problem, as long as Skye's on hacktivist skills weren't too rusty. That wasn't what was troubling her. The question was not "could she?" but "should she?"

Skye hated almost more than anything the disappointed look on Coulson's face when she disobeyed a direct order. He always had confidence in her, since they first met. How could she go against his will?

Skye was suddenly struck with idea #3.

Ward's file. She had to read it, And technically Coulson never said she couldn't.

Loophole.

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**I'll be posting a new chapter later today. Thanks for reading. Also there may be a new story coming out soon! Yay! Also, since Coulson is (or was, whatever your opinion is) the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. does that mean that instead of A.C. he's now D.C. ? Just a thought. See you next time! **


	9. Chapter 9

**New chapter time! Yay! Thanks to Fandoms8, annavlae23, and EmmaJMcGhee for reviewing. Hope you like it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Agents of SHIELD or any of it's characters, although I wish I owned a monkey...and the Fitz that comes with it**

* * *

The sound of Skye's fingers across the keys of her laptop was erratic and fast. She was biting her lip in concentration. Hacking SHIELD was something she'd done before, but that didn't make it any less difficult now. She could feel a bead of sweat trickling down the back of her neck. If she was caught by anyone she would be in deep trouble. And one of the things she hated most in the world was the look Coulson gave her when she disobeyed a direct order. Not of anger or distrust, but disappointment. This team was the closest thing Skye had to a family, which meant Coulson was the father. Disappointing him had what Skye thought was a similar feeling.

"Just one...last...thing…," she mumbled to herself.

Suddenly a file titled "Grant Douglas Ward" appeared on the screen. She took a deep breath before opening it. There were many things to choose from to look at first. His family, his record, status, personality reviews from higher agents (one of which was Maria Hill), his abilities, relationships with other SHIELD agents, etc.

She clicked on "family history" worried for what she might find. Grant had only briefly told her about his life as a child. What he told her had seemed bad enough, going into such depth was frightening.

_Immediate Family: _

_Mother- deceased_

_Father- deceased_

_Sister- whereabouts unknown_

_Younger Brother- whereabouts unknown_

_Older Brother- deceased_

Reading it gave Skye chills. His parents were dead. All Skye saw was something about a fire before she slammed her laptop shut, tears stinging the back of her eyes. She didn't know why. As far as she knew, Ward could've been responsible. But she pitied him. He was such a broken soul, parts of him missing and long gone. She could almost understand how such a violent past could make someone weak, like moldable clay.

Which was exactly what John Garrett saw. He saw the damaged, strong, lost soldier that was Grant Ward, even in his teens. That last fact Skye had only just discovered. Grant had only told them that much.

"_He found me in juvie, when I was a teenager. Said he could help me, train me. He dropped me off in the wilderness with nothing but a sack of clothes and a dog. For the next six months I raided cabins and learned how to survive. When he picked me up I was irritated but I understood why he did it. When he told me to shoot Buddy I barely hesitated."_

Skye didn't like this part. This was received very soon after Ward had been taken into **Vault D**. It was some of the only information they got from him before he said he would only speak with Skye.

She felt almost at war with herself about her opinion of Ward. On one hand she believed his feelings for her were true and that he was just a poor, tortured soul who had made grave mistakes. On the other he was a monster and a murderer who had helped her life be turned inside out, upside down, and backwards. God, never had she been so confused about a person's character.

But the balance shifted slightly when she reopened her laptop and looked at his record. Most offences were recent, all but one. _Possible arson. _Reported the same year his parents died.

Skye wanted to throw her laptop at the wall. Couldn't she just live a normal life with normal boy problems? She sighed. As much as she sometimes wished for that she would give up everything for the few amazing months she had on the Bus.

There was a knock on the door. Skye quickly brought up Facebook before opening it. Jemma smiled back at her, but it was a sad one.

"I heard the news," she said.

Skye nodded and invited her into the room, closing the door behind them.

"Ugh, Simmons. I'm so stupid. Why didn't you tell me that was a stupid idea?" Skye groaned.

"I did! Well, just a lot less bluntly."

They sat side by side on Skye bed, with Skye's feet swinging back at forth in a childish manor.

"What did Coulson say?" the other girl asked.

"Told me it was stupid, that I shouldn't be making Ward's punishment easier, and forbade me to go back into **Vault D** without him or May over my shoulder."

Simmons put a gentle hand on Skye's knee. "It'll be okay, Skye," she said.

Skye wanted to believe her. She wanted so badly to believe that everything would be all right.

"Thanks, Jemma. Really. How are things between you and Fitz? You guys seem so different lately."

"Oh, that's not important. Right now we need to figure out what we should do about you," she said.

Skye decided not to mention how quickly Simmons changed the subject. "I don't think anyone would know what to do right now. Especially not me."

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**I hope you liked reading this chapter. And I have to I am thoroughly enjoying writing it. See you next time! **


	10. Chapter 10

**HEY! Whoops caps lock. I'm just gonna leave it. Laziness level: Maximum. Hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Agents of SHIELD or any of it's characters, although I wish I owned a monkey...and the Fitz that comes with it**

* * *

Skye read through Ward's whole file. Some parts brought her to tears, others made her want to run away. _This _is what made Grant Ward. These were the chronological events that created the person who confused Skye more than anything. Skye felt very invasive, but she knew it was necessary. She knew that this was one of the only loopholes she could get around Coulson. Of course she had thought of another one that didn't require disobeying the direct order given to her but that required time and patience.

Something she didn't know she had enough of.

When Skye had finally finished reading Ward's file from technological cover to technological cover she slowly closed her laptop and sank down into her stiff bed. The last parts of it were mostly his recent activities, and one of the parts burned into Skye's mind.

_Ward then left the facility with Agent Skye, whom he is believed to have affiliated with. Believing that she returned his affections, they proceeded to walk out of the facility hand in hand through the…_

Skye had stared blankly at the screen when she read that. She almost felt exposed knowing that anyone who read this would know that Ward probably had feelings for her. She felt offended when she read "Believing that she returned his affections…" but then she didn't know why. She didn't _really _return his feelings, did she?

She did the first thing that came to her mind. She got Simmons.

_Knock, knock._

"Come in!" Her chipper British voice chimed.

"Hey, Jemma. I need someone to talk to," Skye said, closing the door behind her.

Simmons furrowed her brow. "What is it?"

"Am I in love with Ward?" She blurted.

Jemma's eyes widened. "Love? Wow, umm. Skye, is this what's been troubling you these past few days?"

Skye nodded.

"Skye, love seems to be something that is either there or not. You are either in love with Ward, and you are trying to hide it from yourself, or you aren't but you want to be."

Skye considered this for a moment. There was one thing she knew, and it was that she shouldn't love Grant. Just visiting him had caused her stress and even punishment. She shouldn't, she couldn't, and she wouldn't fall in love with Grant Ward. Skye had a feeling that she might've been too late to have such a realization.

But then Skye's mind wandered to the thought of Simmons, and why she was suddenly so wise on the subject of love.

"Have you ever been in love, Jemma?" She asked.

Jemma's eyes seemed to glaze over, as if now she was suddenly gone from the world, perhaps in memory. She suddenly blinked rapidly and shook her head slightly, as if she could just shake off the haze she was just in.

"What have you done about Ward? Knowing you, you certainly haven't just dropped it," she said, ignoring Skye's question.

"I hacked SHIELD and read his file."

Simmons' eyes widened slightly. "I'm surprised you were able to retrieve it with Hydra and everything."

"It took some time," Skye said, "but I did it."

"Do you like what you found?" Jemma asked in a hushed voice.

"It was horrible, so brutal and sad at the same time," Skye said. "It was like he was so broken and weak that it was easy for Garrett to pick up the pieces and make something that would be evil and easily comply."

Simmons sighed. "He had control of his actions, Skye. No one really made him do anything. You aren't starting to really believe him are you?"

She was, she realized. She really truly wanted to see the best in Ward, but now she was forgetting the rest.

"I think I've figured out a way to see him, but I'm not sure if I should even try," SKye said instead of answering Jemma's question.

"I believe," Simmons began, "that we all are meant to do something, to be someone. Maybe not in the creepy way that Raina believes that, but in a simpler way. If you are truly meant to be with Ward then you will be."

/\/\/\/\/\

Just before his book disappeared and Skye along with it, Ward had caught a glimpse of a man. Too tall to be Fitz, too short to be Trip, which meant that it could only be one other person.

Coulson.

That worried him. He couldn't be the cause of something bad happening to Skye. He couldn't live with that. He wondered what her punishment would be. The only thing he could be certain of was that he wasn't going to see her anytime soon.

Ward missed his book, but he missed her even more. Once she'd finally relaxed it felt comfortable. He couldn't help but sneak glances at her. She always looked the most beautiful when she was carefree. It was as if that damn wall just slowly faded away more and more the longer she was around. They barely spoke, but he was glad they didn't. There was so much to be said but, for now, Ward wanted to ignore the elephant in the room.

He had faith in Skye. She would find a way, if she really wanted to see him. She was resourceful and witty and Ward knew that without a doubt that if she set her mind on doing something that nothing could stand in her way. That was one of the things he loved about her. You wouldn't think something so small and innocent could be powerful until you met Skye.

He believed he would see Skye again because he needed to.

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**Follow, favorite, and review to make me smile! Hope you enjoyed! **


	11. Chapter 11

**Thanks to Izzie SilverStar, Fandoms8, and annavale23 for reviewing. So you guys will either get a late update or an early one due to the fact that I get to go on a four hour drive to Idaho with my lovely mother and her boyfriend and his not-so-lovely 4 kids… So yeah…. I dunno. Enjoy. Question of the Update: What city do you live in? **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Agents of SHIELD or any of it's characters, although I wish I owned a monkey...and the Fitz that comes with it**Skye had finally decided.

* * *

She wouldn't be breaking any rules, not technically. Training to be a field agent with May as her SO made her feel like a new person. It was nice to feel like a real agent of SHIELD (or what was left of it) but as she hacked through firewall after firewall she felt at home. She could almost feel the stained fabric of her van's seats underneath her and could almost hear the swaying of the hula girl on her dash. Before this all began her biggest problem was how do deal with being absolutely dirt broke. Now her problems were too long to list.

She had pre made a little something beforehand so that she could be in and out as fast as possible. It took her some time to hack into the systems of **Vault D** and to make sure she didn't leave any evidence behind. She tried to push out the thoughts of consequences and completely focused on the task at hand. One wrong move and they would be able to trace the hack back to her.

Before pressing enter, which would enact her plan, she took a sip of her water and thought about what she was about to do. But Skye was done thinking, she wanted something and she was going to get it.

_Click_

That's when she saw him. He look about that same after about a week, not that she had suspected he'd have purple eyebrows now or something. To her surprise, he was almost perfectly still in his bed, besides the slight raising and lowering of his chest. She made sure her laptop's mic was on before speaking.

"Ward, don't acknowledge me and stay still."

Ward was so good at his job that Skye temporarily questioned if he even heard her.

"I'm going to record you for a minute so that I can loop it."

She did what she said she would and tried to keep her fingers from shaking while doing so. She played the looped track of Ward just breathing in case Coulson or someone else decided to check up on him.

She took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. "Okay, Grant, they can't see you."

He shot straight up like a mad man hearing voices in the night. "Skye, you can't be doing this."

"Too late."

He looked straight at the camera, thought Skye wasn't sure how he knew where it was. It was hidden. It felt like he was looking straight at her, as if he could really meet her gaze.

Ward dropped his head as he mumbled, "To hear your voice again…," It took him a moment before he brought his eyes back up to the camera.

"How much time do we have?" He asked.

"About ten minutes before SHIELD systems catch up to me," she said.

Ward sighed. He was defeated before he could even try and defend himself. Skye could do that to him. Only Skye….

"It was Coulson who caught you, wasn't it? What did he say?" the imprisoned man wanted to know.

"Forbade me to go into **Vault D**. Which is why I'm doing this," Skye explained.

"How did we get here?" Ward said with slight laughter in his words.

"Well, I hacked SHIELD, became part of this weird ragtag group which consisted of two inseparable dorky scientists, an awesome resurrected man who isn't too right in the head, a kick-ass woman who is a bit prickly, and," she slowed and got quieter when she said, "one very attractive specialist who unfortunately works for a really creepy organization that wants to rule the Earth. Then that specialist dropped the scientists out of a plane to the bottom of the ocean, among other things, and betrayed the little misfit family. He sucks, Ward. He sucks."

Ward said nothing.

"But I believe that the Ward I know now is different. I know him better. Ward, I-I read your file."

Grant's brow furrowed in rage and he said, "You did what?"

"I'm sorry but if this is ever to work, in any sense, there can't be any secrets between us and I couldn't get them from you."

"You know I won't lie to you! You shouldn't have done that."

She could almost see Ward trying to contain his anger. She could understand why. He felt exposed having the person he cared about knowing all of his secrets. She felt almost equally exposed when Ward handcuffed her after she slept with Miles.

"Look, Grant, I know it's invasive but I had too. These things might've been difficult for you to tell me and now you don't have to."

"That wasn't your job, Skye. But please, let's just..._not_ talk about that right now."

Skye nodded and then a moment later felt stupid about forgetting that he couldn't see her.

"Okay, then what do we talk about?" Skye asked.

"Tell me more about this misfit team," Grant said with a grin, though it was one that was a little sad.

So she did. She told him the story about the time they were in Peru, where afterwards they had really acted like a team for the first time, though they blew a hole in the bus in the process.

When the time was up, they said their goodbyes, which Skye was thankful for. They made sure that things looked the same as they did in the looped video and Grant went back to just breathing in silence, as if he'd never stopped staring blankly at the ceiling. He did grin slightly, something Skye loved looking at. The thought sent a new determination through her. She _would _fix this, she thought. She would get him out.

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**So it looks like you got a late chapter, sorry. Just a warning: I'm going to be drifting off away from the real story after this point. I want to change things up a bit, give Skyeward a happy ending. I hope you enjoyed. ****Follow, favorite, and review to make me smile! **


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey there! Thank to EmmaJMcGhee and annavale23 for reviewing. Hope you guys enjoy, I thought of something cool to add to this chapter and like I said, I'm going to be basically changing the course of events from here on out. I might add parts of the show into it and I apologize if I get the events a bit mixed up, it's been quite a while since I've been able to watch part 1 of season 2 of AOS.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Agents of SHIELD or any of it's characters, although I wish I owned a monkey...and the Fitz that comes with it**

* * *

Her voice. God, he loved the sound of it. Though Ward's heart ached at the sound of it and the words she was saying, about him working for Hydra, he was glad to hear it. He knew he wasn't going to see her for a long while but little moments like this would certainly get him by. But Ward wasn't prepared for what was coming at all.

The thick looking wall became clear but for the first time in ages, it wasn't Skye behind it.

It was Coulson.

Ward's eyes widened and his eyebrows raised. Without the option of Skye visiting him Ward didn't expect to see anyone for quite some time. To say he was surprised to see anyone, especially Coulson, was an understatement. But luckily Ward remembered that he promised that he wouldn't speak with anyone besides Skye. They both stared at one another for quite some time in absolute silence.

"Cut the crap, Ward. I don't care about your oath to only talk to Skye. If you don't speak I will start cutting off your oxygen," Coulson said with no mercy in his eyes or his voice. Ward had rarely seen this side of Coulson, and it was never directed at him before. It was the protective side of him that he had only ever used to defend his team. Anything Coulson said in this voice he would not be bluffing about.

Ward nodded and said, "What do you want?"

Coulson met his eyes and there was something different in them that Ward had never seen before. It was an oddly frightening look on the mostly kind man.

"Do you love her?"

Ward blinked. He knew exactly who Coulson was talking about. For a long time any time he heard the word "love" her beautiful face flashed in his mind.

"What?" the prisoner asked.

"Do you love her?" Coulson asked more slowly and articulated this time, but Ward sensed the slightest hint of mockery in his tone.

"I assume you're talking about Skye?" Ward asked calmly, though inside he was kind of freaking out. But Coulson didn't get to know that.

Coulson did nothing to respond, not a nod or a shake of his head. Nothing. Not a word or a gesture, so Ward assumed.

He sighed before speaking. "Yes, all right? I love her, more than I should. She is the best thing that has happened and probably will happen to me. Good God, I love her, Coulson. Is that what you wanted to hear?"

In the years that Coulson had been working for SHIELD he had become a master of the straight face. He could've dominated at poker because Ward had no idea what he was thinking.

"No, actually. I wanted to hear that you don't love her. I wanted to believe that you were just using her as a means to possibly escape one day but sadly I think you're telling the truth," the agent said.

"I would never use Skye," said Ward. "I don't understand why you would want me to, though."

Coulson sighed. "You of all people should know how much Skye means to me. I love her like my own daughter. She would be hurt a whole lot less by you using her than loving her, Ward. For God's sake you're in containment! You work for an organization that has destroyed the only family she's ever had!"

Ward walked away from the translucent wall and towards his bed. He sat down on it, facing the man in front of him.

"Look, Coulson, I'm not loyal to Hydra. I was loyal to Garrett, who is now dead. In the beginning, yes, I was faking it. But the longer I was a part of the team the more I stopped pretending. I _am _a part of your team, Coulson. I am a part of this family!"

"You _broke_ my family! This is _your _fault," Coulson countered back.

There was a long, seemingly endless moment of silence between the men, neither of them sure what to say in the tense situation. Coulson exhaled heavily.

"I got a second chance at life. Literally. I like to extend that courtesy to others, even if ⅔ of your team hates you, myself included, and the rest just plain think you suck. Fitz might've tried to "show" you what happened to him but for a long time he believed that you cared for us. I have no idea what's going on in Skye's head but she believes that too. It's time for you to prove it. I'm calling in May's ex husband, a psychiatrist. I'm going to try and rehabilitate you and I want his analysis on your state."

Ward's mouth opened and he couldn't seem to bring his jaw back up. Here was the man who Ward was almost positive hated him giving him a second chance. Only a sliver of one, sure, but it was a chance all the same. He couldn't seem to wrap his head around the thought of it.

"And Skye…," Ward trailed off.

"She is still not permitted to see you. You maybe, just maybe, could get to see her if Dr. Garner comes back with positive results. And don't try to lie to him to get to see her. He's too good for that," Coulson said, the fadest hint of a smile when he said the last part.

Ward tried to say something else but was cut off by a sudden flash of white clouded his vision. The wall was once again in place. Coulson was apparently done talking with him.

/\/\/\/\/\

She missed him.

There, she said it. She missed Ward. Skye hated the fact that she did and hated even more that she missed him at all. She shouldn't miss him at all, what so ever. But she did, she wanted to see him, wanted to read with him. She wanted to be by his side and had a sudden desire to run her hands through his hair. God, what was wrong with her?

She knew that she could talk to him anytime she wanted to but her competitive spirit won over her desire. She couldn't let Ward win. She would not give him the satisfaction of knowing that she actually wanted to see him. Although he could already be given the impression of that by the fact that she hack SHIELD once again just to talk to him.

Skye didn't want to miss him. That meant that she felt something for Ward. She couldn't put really a label on it, but she knew it was there. Those... those… _feelings_. Ugh, she hated the word but she knew they were real and she knew she would have to pay attention to them someday.

Today was not that day.

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**Boop. Hope you enjoyed this chapter! ****Follow, favorite, and review to make me smile! **


	13. Chapter 13

**God, what chapter is this? 13? Wow. Thanks for the support guys, I really like being able to make something others enjoy. Speaking of which, someone asked about the name AC, because obviously Skye isn't talking to the air conditioner. AC is the nickname Skye gives Coulson in season 1 standing for "Agent Coulson". Thanks to annavale23, EmmaJMcGhee, Subakun-sensei, Riley Holden, Brenda, and Emily the enemy for reviewing. Onto the story!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Agents of SHIELD or any of it's characters, although I wish I owned a monkey...and the Fitz that comes with it**

* * *

Ward was so bored. He was about ready to rip his hair out in frustration. He had literally _nothing _to do. But he didn't let it show or do anything about it. He just laid in his bed, staring at the ceiling. He knew that he couldn't be doing any sort of task or else Skye wouldn't talk to him. He couldn't be doing nothing but one handed push ups for 20 minutes because of the looped track without someone getting suspicious. So he waited and waited for what seemed like hours, not that he had any idea.

This mindless waiting unfortunately became a whole lot less mindless when Ward started thinking about what Coulson had said to him the day before. Coulson didn't say anything about when Dr. Garner would come evaluate him and he was worried that the physiatrist would find him talking to Skye. He didn't want the doctor to find out about that. He didn't want that part of him to be dissected or get Skye in trouble again. Surely, his pasts meetings with her will come up in conversation with May's ex husband.

_May's ex husband._

Ward felt something odd stir within him. It was strange to think that the man who would be assessing him mind was once married to the woman he once slept with.

His thoughts were interrupted by a voice, a familiar voice belonging to the most beautiful person Ward knew.

"Ready?" Skye said.

Ward did the slightest nod, letting her know that he heard her. He waited for about a minute and a half before she spoke again.

"Okay," she said. "We're good."

Ward sat up again and looked towards the camera, or where he thought the camera. He figured that place in the wall would give them an entire view of the cell. He hoped he wasn't just staring at some blank wall and Skye was laughing at him behind his back.

"So, soldier, I assume nothing's new with you?"

He chuckled at how very wrong she was. "Coulson paid me a visit yesterday."

It was silent for a moment, Ward could imagine her large brown eyes widening at his statement. Ah, what he would give to wake up everyday next to her, to see those eyes flutter open each day with the morning light.

"He _talked _to you and you're still alive?" she said.

This caused Grant to laugh in the way that only she could make him do. "That I am. It was a particularly interesting conversation."

"And?" she said eagerly. "What did he say? Why was he there? Does he know that we're talking?"

"If he knows that you're speaking to me, he didn't let on. And he actually delivered some good news, sort of," Ward said.

"Sort of?" Skye question.

"Do you know about May's ex husband?"

"I knew she was married but I've never heard anything about him. Ward, is everything okay?"

Ward tore his eyes away from the camera and swept them over him small minimalistic cell. His _cell. _He was in a secure SHIELD vault. He didn't deserve the care of someone so very good and just.

"If you do ever meet him, don't let on that you know about him. He is apparently a physiatrist and he is going to assess and evaluate my mind. It's my second chance, Skye. They're going to try and rehabilitate me," Ward said, decidedly leaving out the fact that Coulson also asked about his feelings for Skye.

There was a long moment of silence that worried Ward. Did she not want him to get out? Did she only feel safe behind the wall that was between them?

When she finally spoke she said,"Ward. That's amazing!"

Ward let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. He beamed up at the camera. "I'm glad you think so."

"Oh, Ward, this is great. How long do you think it will take for him to consider releasing you?"

Ward shook his head. "I have no idea. I haven't met him yet, but I'm not sure how we'll talk any more. He could be monitoring me or decide to make surprise visits."

"We'll figure it out, Grant."

The sound of his name coming from her lips was blissful music to Ward.

"Together?" he asked.

"Together."

* * *

**Aww he's so cute. Well anyway, what's new with you guys? Are you excited to see Dr. Garner's evaluation? What would you like some of the results to be? Have you checked out my other story, In the Small Town of McKinley? ****Follow, favorite, and review to make me smile! P.S. Sorry bout the late update. _P.P.S. I decided to look up The Truth Serum and I now realize that things that are bold don't really show up bolded. Do you guys see it bold or are y'all just confused by which part is text and which part is me talking. Let me know._**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hey there! Thanks to annavale23, ****EmmaJMcGhee, Subakun-sensei, Riley Holden, ****Brenda, and ****Emily the enemy for reviewin****g! ****Hope you like it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Agents of SHIELD or any of it's characters, although I wish I owned a monkey...and the Fitz that comes with it**

* * *

"Ward. Get up."

Ward was startled out of his nightmares by a deep, calm voice. His eyes shot open and saw an all too familiar dark ceiling. He was in **Vault D**. Ward sat up in his bed, rubbing his eyes and yawning as if he was not aware of the presence outside the wall. His new shrink was finally here. Ward sat up and swung his legs off the side of his bed. He cradled his head in his hands and rested his elbows on his knees.

A pair of dark brown eyes studied him carefully. They weren't quite like Skye's eyes, which were more like an endless sea of chocolate that he rather enjoyed looking at, these were quizzical and searching. He wore a blue button down shirt and a black blazer and looked rather...bored.

"Hello," Ward said simply.

"Hello, Mr. Ward. I assume that you know why I'm here," he said.

Ward nodded silently.

"Good. All right, we're going to start out with a few questions, is that okay?"

He said nothing in response.

"Were either of your parents been institutionalized or were in a consistently bad mental state while you were growing up?"

"I set the house on fire when they were in it, if that tells you anything," Ward said nonchalantly. That wasn't a story he was proud of. He was a lost and angry teenager with a temper and really bad parents.

Dr. Garner took a small notepad and pen out from the pocket inside his blazer. He scribbled something on it and looked back up at his new patient.

"My next question would usually be to ask if _you_ have ever been institutionalized but…" he trailed off, looking around Ward's minimalistic cell. Technically he wasn't in here because of any mental issues, but leave it to a psychologist to turn it into one.

"Yeah, I got that. What's next?" said Ward.

"How would you describe your social life during your childhood?"

Ward considered this for a while. Finally he decided on, "I'm sure you know enough about my family history to have a general idea. I was pegged as a bully for defending my little brother."

"Mmm. I see," was all the doctor said.

"Did you have any pets have a child?" May's ex husband asked.

Ward was immediately suspicious. This question was very unlike the others. Ward answered it honestly all the same.

"We had a dog when I was very young. I have little memories of it."

"Were you ever scolded by your parents for hitting the dog?" the doctor asked.

The reality of what the man on the other side of the wall was asking hit Ward like a bus.

"Are you really asking if I'm a sociopath?!" he exclaimed.

Dr. Garner showed no indication of surprise. "Yes, Mr. Ward, it was an idea. I was not expecting you to know the signs."

"Honestly, when we were all a team still, Skye would often call me a robot due to my always serious demeanor. She has a certain way of getting under my skin and the silly name got to me. I did some research on sociopathy before I realized that if I was really a sociopath I would've cared enough to look it up," Ward said.

The dark skinned man nodded. "No need to be upset, Ward. I'll rule it out."

"What's next?" Ward asked.

"I don't know, Ward. What do you think?"

Ward pretended to ponder this even though his sarcastic comment came to him immediately. "Well, it would be great if you dubbed me safe and just horribly misguided. Then you could sign off on getting me released and get me on probation."

This was rewarded with a small chuckle. "Yes that would be the easy way, but we both know I can't do that. I was thinking we just dig deeper."

"Dig deeper? Into where? My subconscious _is_ my conscious," said Ward.

"We'll see," was all the doctor said. "So Coulson tells me that you have… certain feelings for a member of your team."

Ward was getting tired of this. "Yes, I'm in love with Skye, we all know this."

The doctor raised an eyebrow. "Do we?"

"Well, it's not like I tried to hide it."

Ward found this an odd time to do so but Dr. Garner wrote something on his little notepad.

"And the rest of the team?" he asked.

Ward sighed. "They hate me."

"I'm not asking how they feel about you. I'm asking how you feel about them."

"They're my family," Ward said. "They're a weakness."

* * *

**Okay, so I tried. Obviously I'm no psychologist but what did you think of my attempt of sounding like one? What do you want Ward's overall results to be? ****Follow, favorite, and review to make me smile!**


	15. Chapter 15

**I swear I'm becoming nocturnal. It's 2:27 am so what do I do? Sleep? Naw! I'll write fanfiction! Have you guys seen the AOS season 3 ComicCon poster? It's got Jemma! She's probably alive! Thank god, I love our little nerd children (Fitzsimmons). Anyways thanks to annavale23, EmmaJMcGhee, and Brenda for reviewing. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Agents of SHIELD or any of it's characters, although I wish I owned a monkey...and the Fitz that comes with it**

* * *

The dark skinned man raised an eyebrow. "A weakness?"

"Something Garrett taught me a very long time ago. Caring for anything is a weakness. Don't trust anyone but yourself," Ward said.

"Do you agree with him?" Dr. Garner asked.

"I did once. I'm not so sure now."

The doctor scribbled something on his tiny notepad. "What about your team, Ward? You labeled them as a 'weakness'," the doctor said making air quotes with his fingers. "Does that confirm that you do care for them?"

"Of course I did. I do. Still. They may hate me but I still consider them my family. More so than my biological one," Ward said. "They may think I'm some kind of Nazi but without Garrett here telling me what to do, I'm my own man. I'm just trying to pick up the pieces of the mess I created."

"Then you admit to your crimes against your former team?"

"They may not think so, but I am still a part of that team. Garrett became...unstable once he was injected the the GH formula. Once that happened, I saw him for he was truly. He wasn't powerful, he was just trying to save his own skin. These people cared about me. When Skye came to me a few weeks ago with a picture of some carving that were similar to what Garrett had been carving, I panicked. I was relieved to know that she hadn't been carving them, but I'm still worried about Coulson. If he turns into Garrett, I don't think I'll know what to do."

All that came in response from the man was more writing on his notepad. He looked up expectantly. Ward never answered his question.

"Yes, I admit to my crimes against my team. I almost killed Fitzsimmons, I endangered everyone else. Everybody knows what I've done, why are you making me repeat it?"

"Because, I need to know that you are aware of the effects that you caused. The damage that you created. The scars that you left in your wake," the doctor said without a single hint of sympathy.

_Ouch_, Ward thought. _This guy's honesty is to the point of brutality._

"I think everyone has reminded me enough."

There was a moment of pure, golden silence before Dr. Garner spoke again. "Mr. Ward, do you think Skye is aware of those things? Has she been one to remind you of your mistakes?"

"She wears some of the scars I left behind and she reminded me of them almost every time we spoke," Ward sighed, making sure to use past tense to ensure he didn't suspect he and Skye were still talking.

May's ex husband proceeded to scrawl in his notepad and wrote several pages of text before he spoke again. "That will be all today, Grant. Until next time," he nodded and tapped on the tablet.

Ward was left staring at the pearly white wall that blocked him from where he wanted to be. Not just out there, out of his prison, but with them. With his team. With Skye.

/\/\/\/\/\

The attack happened out of no where. With Hydra pinning SHIELD as a terrorist organization by posing as them and attacking the United Nations, everyone was on red alert. Bobbi, a new addition to their little ragtag team, was working undercover with Hydra for quite some time. She managed to steal a hard drive from one of the scientists there before she met up with Trip, her extraction team. While Fitzsimmons were working to get some of the information off of it, the only instruction Skye was offered was from May.

"Coulson wants to see you in his office."

And so she went. She hadn't mentioned her recent discovery of her father to Ward. There hadn't been time and she knew she wasn't ready to face it yet. She knew that her family and the alien carvings that Coulson was having her study would have to be set aside until they got this "fake SHIELD attacked the UN" business dealt with.

As she entered the first thing she saw was Coulson staring at a projected map of the Earth where about 2 and a half dozen blue dots glowed. He glanced over his shoulder when he heard Skye enter and tapped a few things onto his tablet. The projected image changed into what looked like two very offical men that were arguing about something. One on the left was evidently Julien Beckers, the minister of foreign affairs with Belgium. The one on the right, who was substantially more angry than Beckers, surprised Skye. Senator Christian _Ward_.

"Is that…" Skye asked, trailing off.

"Ward's older brother, the senator. He wants to take down SHIELD," Coulson explained. "Or what's left of it."

He pulled up the map again and Skye ran her fingers along the Skye blue dots that were on every continent. "What are these?" she asked.

"That's us. That's SHIELD. A few operations here and there but I fear it will never be what it was once," Coulson said half-heartedly.

Skye gave him a sympathetic look. "Technically, I think 'what it once was' contained a lot of Nazi Hydra agents, and they don't count. What did you need by the way?"

"I know what I said about you and Ward and I still stand by my words, but this situation has created an exception. I need info on Christian that we may only be able to get from him. You are to get the information from Ward. You will be monitored and will be punished if you speak about any subject other than the matter at hand. Do you understand?"

Skye took a deep breath and tried to stay calm. "When do I start?"

Coulson opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out something shiny and sleek that Skye hadn't had in her hands for weeks. The tablet.

"Now."

* * *

**Hey guys! So we got some things done in this chapter, which is cool but I also realized while writing this that I forgot to send Jemma to work at Hydra. I tried to twist it in with the Bobbi paragraph. I hope you liked it! ****Follow, favorite, and review to make me smile!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Thanks to annavale23 and Izzie SilverStar for reviewing.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Agents of SHIELD or any of it's characters, although I wish I owned a monkey...and the Fitz that comes with it**

* * *

Skye slowly wrapped her hand around the railing. She was really doing this. She was going to see Ward for the first time in weeks.

Not that she had a choice, really. And she was going to be monitored. And she didn't _really_ get to talk to him, she had information she needed to get. But she would take what she could get.

After taking a deep breath she made her way down the dark stairwell that led to something she was only barely able to handle. The pale wall stared back at her, challenging her. Daring her to do something about the horrible situation they were in. But she knew she couldn't.

The simple tab on the screen and there he was. Doing….what was he doing? He was in the corner, upside down, doing some odd form of vertical push-ups.

"Showing off?"

He fell with a loud thump.

He winced, flipping over from him back onto his stomach. He lifted head and his expression made Skye blush. His eye lit up and he smiled.

"Skye," he said in a breathy voice, obviously winded by his exercises.

Skye buried her smile. She cleared her throat. "Not today, Ward."

His grin fell. "Coulson send you?"

Skye nodded. "We need information about your brother."

Grant was on his feet now, sighing. "Which one?"

"Your older brother. The senator."

Ward's face contorted. "Christian."

"That's the one," said Skye.

Ward suddenly looked worried. "What did he do? You can't trust him Skye. I told you about the well. He hasn't changed!"

"Calm down, Gr-Ward. We just need to know a few details like contacts, frequently visited locations, anything you can give us," Skye said, being careful not to call him by his first name, which would no doubt anger Coulson.

"Skye, he'll twist the truth, you can't trust anything he says. Don't let him have me, Skye. Do you promise me that you won't give me over to him?" Ward said with a crazed look in his eye.

Startled by his expression and the eagerness in his voice Skye said, "You know that's not my decision to make, it's Coulson's. But I'll put in a good word for you."

This seemed to settle him but Skye was still worried. Where had that come from? "We still need information, Ward."

He nodded and proceeded to tell her almost everything she wanted to know, though he couldn't come up with much. They hadn't spoken in years, not since Ward went to juvie. The only way he'd known Christian became a senator was that he saw it on television. But he knew a few things of importance, and Skye knew that any information would be one good mark on Ward's list of red x's.

"That's all I know," he finished.

Skye nodded and stood up from the chair. Skye stole one last longing look before going to tap on the tablet.

"Skye, wait."

She dragged her eyes up from the "opaque" button up to the prisoner that stood before her.

"You know I can't," she said, deciphering his words.

He sighed and slumped down onto his cot. He said nothing.

With a sigh of her own she pressed the button and made her way up the stairs out of **Vault D**.

/\/\/\/\/\

"I assume you heard all that," Skye said, walking into Coulson's office.

Coulson made no effort to reply. He only continued to stare at the screened being projected at the wall in front of him. It displayed an array of different angles of Ward pacing in **Vault D**.

"Well, just in case you missed something, I wrote it all down," she said, setting down the notepad she'd been writing on during the whole ordeal. The director remained silent.

"So, if you're not gonna say anything, I'm just gonna leave now….," she trailed off.

"How did you do it?" he finally said.

"Huh? Do what?"

Coulson tapped on his own tablet and the monitors shut off. "You've been talking to him haven't you? I don't know how, but you've been talking with him."

She saw no point in denying, so long as he couldn't stop her. "Yes sir, but I've broken no promises or rules."

"May always said you work best outside the system," he deadpanned.

"Are you going to stop me? Monitor me? Give me another bracelet chaperone?"

For the first time since she'd walked into the room, he met her gaze. "I'll pretend I don't notice as long as you find your loop holes, just don't do anything stupid."

Surprised by his answer, Skye raised her eyebrows. "S-sure, Coulson."

"No get out of my office, you little rebel. And don't come back until you have some useful information about the alien writing."

Suppressing her giggle, she exited the room.

* * *

**Hey guys. I hope you enjoyed. Sorry that it's late but with my delays I've switched up my updating schedule, with The Truth Serum on Wednesdays and In The Small Town Of McKinley on Sundays. See you guys next week, be sure to follow, favorite, and review to make me smile!**


	17. Chapter 17

**ACTUAL CANNIBAL SHIA LEBEOUF! Haha just kidding. Let me know if you got that reference though. Thanks to annavale23 and Tay for reviewing. Now lets get to it!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Agents of SHIELD or any of it's characters, although I wish I owned a monkey...and the Fitz that comes with it**

* * *

When the white wall fell again, Ward guessed it was about midday. He wanted it to be Skye again, like it had been the previous day.

But no, of course not. It was doctor Garner.

"Hello again, Mr. Ward," he said in his oddly calm and clear voice.

"Good afternoon, Dr. Garner."

"Punctual, as always," he said, not seeming at all surprised.

"Well, my internal clock hasn't failed me yet. So what's on the agenda for Shrink Visit number 2?"

Andrew just slouched further into the sterile metal chair and rubbed his hands together. He looked like he had a million other places he would rather be.

"Call me what you'd like, Ward, but I am here to help. If anything, you should be excited. I'm your potential ticket out of here."

Ward considered this and decided plopped down on the side of the bed and looked at the doctor expectantly.

"Thought so. So, tell me, what are your plans if you do get released?" the man asked.

"Well, I'm sure it would take a lot of time for me to be fully reinstated. I don't think Fitzsimmons will ever forgive me, so I'll probably go back to being a solo special operative. I might be able to visit the ol' team, if I can convince Coulson. Hell, I'll take an office job if I have to. I just want to help SHIELD, balance the karma, " Ward said, and he meant it.

May's ex husband cocked his head and raised an eyebrow. "And if SHIELD doesn't accept your work? If you never get out?"

"Then I guess all I could hope for was visitors," Ward sighed.

The doctor stared at his for a long time, not saying a word. The longer he stared, Ward slowly grew self conscious. He felt like he was being observed, like a science experiment. His prison cell seemed to morph into an animal cage. He was in a zoo.

But he would never tell Dr. Garner that. That would get him a permanent VIP pass into the loony bin. So, instead of showing that he felt uncomfortable under the hard gaze of the psychiatrist, he just stared right back.

Finally, after what seemed like ages of silence, Garner finally said, "Do you think you deserve your friend's forgiveness, Grant?"

Ward pondered this. He had always considered whether or not he would _get_ forgiveness, not if he deserved it or not. After thinking a moment, he said, "I'm not sure about you, Dr. Garner, but I think that is up for them to decide."

This somehow got a smile out of the otherwise serious man. It scared Ward slightly.

"It is indeed, Mr. Ward, it is indeed. That was one of the best answers you could've given me," he said.

"Uh, thank you?"

The doctor paid no attention to Ward comment and stood up out of the metal chair that Skye once sat in herself.

"That will be all today, Ward. Oh, and one more thing."

Ward raised his eyebrows in inquiry.

"I am allowing you a one hour visit with Skye. Good day," he said, and spun around towards the stairwell.

"What?" Ward said, startled. "That's it? You can't just drop that on me without explanation. I mean, I'm grateful, but what's this about?"

"Think of it as a, uh, reward of sorts."

"Really? Because I'm thinking of it as more of a test," he said suspiciously.

"Are you denying my offer, Mr. Ward?"

Ward saw his opportunity fleeting and spoke quickly. "No! No. Please, bring her here. When do I get to see her?"

The doctor gave him a long look. He was evaluating. What was he evaluating? Ward would never know.

"Soon."

And that was all Ward heard before all that he saw before him was white.

/\/\/\/\/\

"Soon."

Skye gasped.

She had logged into the program she designed when she realized that Ward wasn't alone. She immediately yanked off her mic and watched very closely.

It was Dr. Andrew Garner. She had met him just shortly after she...after she…

After she scared everyone. After everyone found out about her powers. She hadn't spoken to Ward in weeks. After the alien temple and being in quarantine she didn't have much time to talk to the old "Hydra "Boyfriend."

And now, as she sat in the place in the Bus where they interrogated suspects, which was now her home, she was scared. And for once, it had nothing to do with her. She was going to see Ward again, with no boundaries.

Well, besides the very convincingly clear wall that was his prison cell.

* * *

**Hey! I'M BAAACCKK! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I also updated my other story In The Small Town of McKinley. Thanks so much to all of you for sticking with me. I hope to be back on a regular schedule soon. Follow, favorite, and review to make me smile!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Hai. Thanks to Fandoms8, Alkeni, annavale23, and one guest for reviewing. Now let's get on with it. Also, WARNING: this chapter has got some swearing in it so be warned.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Agents of SHIELD or any of it's characters, although I wish I owned a monkey...and the Fitz that comes with it**

* * *

"Skye? May I have a word?"

Skye tried not to suck in a breath as the doctor poked his head into her room. She'd been waiting for this, ever since the previous day when she overheard Dr. Garner talking to Ward.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, sure."

He opened the door fully and stepped inside. He sat in his usual place in the chair opposite her, where he usually did his shrink stuff.

"Thank you," he said. "Now, I know that this is a lot to ask of you, and normally I would advise against it."

Skye raised an eyebrow, pretending to be curious.

"Well, you see, I have also been treating Mr. Ward downstairs in **Vault D**. I've learned a lot of things about him but there are still some gaps that I need to fill in. I want to perform an experiment of sorts. I want to observe you and Ward together," he said calmly, as usual.

"_Observe us?_ I'm not really in the mood to be a lat rat, Dr. Garner," Skye retorted, though she knew she had to accept the offer. She really wanted to see Ward again, even if it was under a watchful eye.

"I know, Ms. Skye but we both know you might not ever get this opportunity again," he said.

Skye sighed. "How long do I get with him?"

"One hour. More if I'm not finished by that time," he replied.

"Constant surveillance?"

"Yes?"

Her shoulders slumped. Sure, their situation could be better but this was a chance to see him, something she hadn't done in weeks.

"Fine. When do we start?"

/\/\/\/\/\

Ward paced back and forth in his cell. Today was the day. He didn't know if Skye would accept the doctor's request to come visit him, but he could hope. He could hope and he _would_ hope. He would see her today.

"Ward," she said.

It was an understatement to say she surprised him.

"_Fuck!_" he jumped back, almost falling.

She burst out laughing, trying to contain it but failing miserably. She slumped down into the silver chain still giggling.

"You can stop laughing now, you little ninja. How'd you even get in here without me noticing?"

"Little ninja? Whatever. You do know this wall will not only can become opaque but sound proof. For some reason it was turned on," she said.

He just shook his head with a small smile and sat down on his bed, resting his back against the wall parallel to it. He looked at her and cocked his head. "What are those?" (Hehehehe….shhhh)

Skye glanced down at herself, trying to determine what he was talking about. That's when she realized she had an unusual accessory that Ward had never seen before. The gloves Simmons made her.

"Oh um...That's a long story. Like, a _really_ long story. It will take up all of our time," she said sheepishly, afraid of how he would react to her newfound powers and what happened in Puerto Rico.

"I'm okay with that. It'll give Mr. Shrink lot's to observe," he said nonchalantly.

She took a breath and began. She was right. To explain everything that happened, and some necessary details pre-magical power shit, took all of the hour, or however long Dr. Garner let them have in there. Ward was for the most part very quiet during her story, only asking where someone was at the time of a certain event or asking if she was okay.

"So, yeah. That's why Simmons gave me these. She counted 86 micro fractures from the last time I tried to contain it. Said they should help," she finished.

"I'm sorry, Skye," he said softly.

She looked up. "It's not your fault."

"But I'm still sorry it happened. I'm sorry you had to go through this."

Their gazes locked for a very long moment. She could tell he was being honest, which made her blush. He really did care about her.

"Oh, and you forgot to mention one thing," Skye said with narrowed eyes.

"What?"

"Oh, just the fact that my father is a murder crazy maniac who isn't exactly _playing with a full deck of cards_," she said with disdain.

Ward winced as if her had just been punched in the arm, which Skye probably would've done in different circumstances. "Oh yeah, that. Sorry, but the opportunity never really presented itse-" he cut off mid sentence, looking somewhere above her.

She twisted around in the chair to see what he was gazing at. She wasn't really pleased with what she found. Garner. She sighed heavily and stood from where she was sitting. She walked the few steps that it took to reach the glass-like wall the separated them. Lifting her arm up, she flattened her palm against it. (Remember, we're pretending that this wouldn't fry her fingers off because I forgot that that happened so yeah)

"See you soon?" she said quietly enough so only Ward would hear.

He brought his hand up too, placing it right where her's was. His were much larger and covered in old scars, hers were smaller, partially covered by the gloves that protected her from herself.

"Of course."

* * *

**Awww look at my cuties bein all cute. Well, I hope you enjoyed the chapter this week. Sorry It's a little late but it's 5 am and I haven't slept but whatever. Follow, favorite, and review to make me smile!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter!...What chapter is it? 19?! Well, shit. Thanks for helping me get here guys.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Agents of SHIELD or any of it's characters, although I wish I owned a monkey...and the Fitz that comes with it**

* * *

"What do you think about Ward's progress, Dr. Garner?"

They were in Coulson's office, and honestly, Andrew was trying not to sigh. "Well, sir, it's quite obvious that he doesn't want to be in there. I'm quite curious actually, about how he's dealt with near solitude for this long. Some would've been driven mad by this point. Quite honestly, though, I'm having trouble getting through to him. He's had years learning how to cover up any emotion. It might take just as long to undo that work."

Coulson didn't seem too pleased with the news, but at most seemed only mildly concerned. The man before him could be very good at covering his emotions as well, if he wanted to. The man was either a walking open book, or the equivalent of a brick wall.

"That's to be expected. What do you think about….about his feelings for Skye?" the director asked.

"I think that it is as genuine as he says it to be. He believes that he is in love with her. Whether that is true, or simply something he _wishes_ were true, I've yet to find out," he stated. He believed it too. Some people wanted something so badly that they ended up believing it themselves.

Phil sighed. "That's what I was afraid of. Skye...she is very important to me. I really don't want her to be overloaded. With what's been going on, I don't think having the psycho in our basement deeply in love with her would help anything."

Andrew chuckled, genuinely. Even though it was defensive and distracting, Coulson was very funny. He didn't really want to have anything to do with SHIELD when Fury was in charge. The entire organization was unhealthy. But now that Fury was dead, or so they told him, and Coulson was picking up what was left of his work he was going to give SHIELD another chance.

"I'm guessing he wants to be released?" Coulson asked, jumping Andrew out of his thoughts.

"Of course," he replied. "I'm not sure when I'll recommend it, I've only been with his twice. I'm not _that_ good."

"Do you ever think he could be the person we knew? The one who was with us all those months?"

"You know I can't tell that, Phil."

The man sighed. "I know, but I guess my team feels like it's missing something."

/\/\/\/\/\

Skye's eyes fluttered open. Above her was unfamiliar. It was not the ceiling of her bunk of the Bus, or of her room in the Playground. She tried to lift her limbs, but found she couldn't. Memories flooded her mind as she remembered Gordon, the attack, using her powers.

"Hey," she heard someone say. Rotating her head she saw it was Gordon, the odd middle-aged looking man with no eyes at all. "Everything's gonna be okay. You're safe now."

"Gordon," Skye said, suddenly out of breath. She could feel her pulse rising and tired to lower it as she said, "Where am I?"

"This is the place I told you about. You called for me, do you remember?"

She ignored the question. "How long have I been here?"

Though it was harder to read his emotions due to the flat skin where his eyes should've been, Skye could tell he didn't want to tell her. "Two days."

_Two days. _She thought about the chaos that had been going on before she left. "I need-I need to go. They need me, something bad has happened." She tried to lift her arms, her legs, _something._ It was futile. Frustrated she asked, "Why can't I move? What are you doing to me?"

That was when someone walked through the door at the other end of the room. He was blond, tall, and bearded. He was handsome, but that wasn't really something to concentrate on at the moment.

"We're healing you. To leave now wouldn't exactly be…,"he chuckled, "Have you ever made microwave popcorn?" He walked up to a computer that was near Skye's bed.

"Leave it in too long and it's charcoal, take it out early and it's a bag of kernels," he explained, and then paused. "That might just be the _worst_ analogy ever. Gordo, help me out here?"

Gordon shook his head. "You're on your own with this one, kid." Turning toward Skye he said, "I have to go now, you're in very good hands," he then leaned down to whisper near her. "He's smarter than he looks."

"And how do you know that?" the blond retorted.

Gordon only smiled and left the room.

"He's been by your side since the moment you got here," he said, as if it was supposed to console her.

"Who are you?" Skye asked, a little rude but she felt it was necessary.

He looked up from a tablet that he'd grabbed a moment earlier. He looked momentarily surprised at her question and then said, "Sorry, I thought-. I'm Lincoln, your transitioner." He chuckled again. "Sorry, I keep forgetting you're new to this. Everyone who goes through terrigenesis has a transitioner to help them."

Overwhelmingly worried about her friends Skye tried to rush this _Lincoln_ by saying, "Please cut to the chase with this thing."

"Right, yeah. Let me start from the top."

/\/\/\/\/\

Ward was surprised to see that he had a visitor just a few days after his meeting with Skye. It was Coulson, a man he hadn't seen in over a month. He looked oddly sudden, which sent a course of worry through Ward, although he didn't let it show.

"Hello," Ward said simply, testing the waters.

"Skye is missing."

Ward was at full alertness. "What the hell! Where is she? What happened? Who was the last person to see her? How did this-"

"Ward. We're looking for her at this very moment but things are a bit...complicated. I took Skye to a safe house because her powers were getting out of hand. A lot has been going on since you've been in here. And because of that, I've made an executive decision."

He raised an eyebrow. "And that would be…"

"I'm letting you out and putting you into a paroled active duty."

That when he tapped a few times on the tablet and, for the first time in months, the wall came down.

* * *

**Well, that just happened. I hope you've enjoyed. I'm not really sure where I'll go with this but I hope you all like it. We're almost up to 100 followers! That's incredible! Let's see if we can get it up there! Follow, favorite, and review to make me smile!**


	20. Chapter 20

**LET'S GET DOWN TO BUSINESS TO DEFEAT THE HUNS!**

_**This is a rewrite of chapter 20. The beginning is very much the same, but the end is different and I would recommend reading it.**_

**Disclaimer: I don't own Agents of SHIELD or any of it's characters, although I wish I owned a monkey...and the Fitz that comes with it**

Ward didn't leave. This was a trap. It _had_ to be a trap because there was no way in hell that Coulson was letting him go. Especially not just like that, with little to no explanation and no warning at all. No, Ward was far too potentially dangerous for that.

He stumbled backwards until he hit the wall of the corner of his cell. He didn't move a muscle.

"This is a test, isn't it?" Ward asked. "Something Garner's whipped up to screw with me. Well I won't fall for it! I know you'd never let me out."

Coulson sighed, seemingly annoyed with Ward's reaction. "Normally I wouldn't be doing this but unfortunately for the both of us, Skye is _really_ gone. We need as much manpower as we can get. I'll have someone brief you on what's been going on. There's been a lot you've missed, believe me."

/\/\/\/\/\

He sat at a table, trying to remember how to act. He was in normal clothes for the first time in months, jeans and a dark maroon t-shirt made of soft cotton that made him feel like he was in a comly warm bed. They'd allowed him to shave, trim his hair. He looked almost exactly like he did when their ragtag team had just formed. Like just a special operative with a prickly personality and a secret love for board games. Ward stared at his reflection in the mirror for what was probably too long, but he didn't care. Memories crashed on him like waves upon a shore. He remembered the first day, when Fitzsimmons introduced each other instead of themselves. He remembered having debriefings around the holotable. He had tried to block out the now painful memories when he'd been incarcerated, but now he couldn't stop thinking about those months.

He tried to turn off that part of his brain by returning back to operative-mode, although it had been so long that even that was unfamiliar. He was in a small room in a building he didn't know. He assumed that this was the room they'd been using for interrogations, seeing how the few windows had thick glass and there was only one door. The walls were made of sturdy brick and Ward guessed they would be pretty tough to break through.

What was he doing? He shouldn't be think about how to get out, he should be thinking of how to figure out what the heck was going on. He had just decided to go see if the door was unlocked when it opened.

A tall blond woman walked in, her hair curly and her face fair. She was very pretty, but Ward found himself missing a certain brunette instead. She gave him a weak smile before sitting down across him at the small table.

"Hi. My name's Bobbi, which no, is not short for Robert. It's short for Barbara, which actually might be worse. I'm supposed to debrief you on all the shit that you've missed and evaluate your physical health and stature," she said.

Ward was suspicious. "Why they choose you? Why not Coulson, or Trip even?"

Bobbi's face fell at his words, although Ward was not sure which triggered it. "It's a little...complicated. Okay, a lot complicated. I wasn't exaggerating when I said you missed a lot of _shit_."

Ward said nothing, only raised an eyebrow in question.

"_Things _have been happening while you've been...in there. Hydra...they're still a problem. I guess with the whole," she used her fingers the make quotation marks and fell into a pretty good german accent, "'Cut off one and and two more shall grow in it's place.' thing Hydra will always be a problem. Although, in comparison to the new threat that we're facing, they seem very small. We smashed one of Hydra's heads recently so we won't have to worry about them for a while. The problem is, there have been these _new people_ popping up."

"I didn't think we think we really got "new people"," Ward said, although he didn't sound as sarcastic, mostly curious.

"Me neither but we live in a much weirder world than we previously had thought."

Ward flashed back to another time he heard those words, when he was sitting across from another strong, SHIELD woman, although they were from his own mouth. When he said that SHIELD was meant to protect the world from the much weirder world. The memory pained him.

"Who or what are they?" he finally asked.

"They call themselves Inhumans. They say that hundreds of years ago the Kree visited us and planted their DNA into select humans to alter them, making them a different race entirely. The Inhumans have...abilities. When the dormant alien DNA inside them is activated through terragenesis they develop powers, all of them are different. We've seen some Inhumans who can create copies of themselves or who are immortal. Some can even teleport," Bobbi said. She quirked the corner of her mouth, the most emotion she's shown him since he'd been talking with her.

And yet as he stared at her mouth he saw her lips become fuller and slightly darker. He saw her blue-gray eyes become a rich chocolate brown. God, he needed to stop thinking about her. Here Bobbi was, telling about this new species of people with bizarre powers that had the potential to be extremely dangerous and all he could think about was a girl. No, a _woman_. A woman he loved.

He'd gone soft. He was thinking about _love_. Gross.

"And one of them can make the sky rain purple cows that protrude glitter from their assholes," Bobbi finished.

Shaking his head slightly out of his Skye induced daze. _An Inhuman who can make the sky rain purple cows that protrude glitter from their assholes? _Bobbi was messing with him.

"What on Earth are you talking about? Glitter from their assholes?" He asked.

"I was testing if you were listening. If that's the only part you heard, then you definitely weren't. Look, I know it's a lot to process but you were an agent for years. You need to get your head in the game Ward," she said. She had been sarcastic and a bit prickly but the longer they were both in the room together the more he could see her body relax and see her eyes soften.

"I'm listening," Ward said after a nod.

"These Inhumans could be valuable to us as allies but as of the current moment we don't know if they are friends or foes, or if they'd be willing to help us at all. Recent developments would suggest that they...aren't on our side. Dr. Garner has told me that Skye told you of her new...abilities. Recently an Inhuman who has the ability to teleport and travel instantly at will without detection took Skye. She's been gone for three days."

Three days. Seventy-two hours. 4,320 minutes. 259,200 seconds. Too long. Far too long.

Ward took a breath and tried to think about how to logically respond. "Do we know where she is?"

Bobbi only shook her head.

He stared at the ground for a long while, trying to stay calm. Skye had been gone for three days and no one knew if she was okay and no one knew where she was. There was many things he didn't know, but he did know one thing: he needed to help.

"What can I do?"

* * *

**I LIIIIIVVVVVVVEEEEEE! (That makes two mulan references in one chapter, I guess I liked that movie more than I thought.) Okay, so I know you guys probably thought you'd get an entirely new chapter but I needed to rewrite the last bit of this one so that I could cure my writers block. You'll notice that I no longer have the "Real SHIELD". It was going to be hard to write everything along with the story and have it be in chronological order and things. I will no longer be following the plot line of AOS, even though I love it to bits. I will still use some aspects of it though. Anyhoo, you'll be getting an all new chapter soon. I love you all, many or few. Follow, favorite, and review to make me smile!**


	21. Chapter 21

**What's this? An **_**actual new chapter**_**? The first one in months? No way!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Agents of SHIELD or any of it's characters, although I wish I owned a monkey...and the Fitz that comes with it**

* * *

34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41…

Ward was bored. Bobbi mentioned that she would be evaluating his physical condition but he didn't think that would mean him, doing as many pull ups as he could. Bobbi counted for him but she was very monotonous and it had him questioning if it was possible to fall asleep while doing pull ups.

And it's not like he was bragging or anything, but this could go on for a while.

At about 60 Bobbi let him stop, saying that if she watched him do one more pull up, she'd have to stab him. He thoroughly concurred.

They went through push ups and sit ups and sprints and a million other exercises that Ward remembered doing in his first physical eval. He could not stop having deja vu, it was insane. He just wished part of his deja vu was seeing Skye again. He needed to save her, and as soon as possible.

Once it was finally done Ward was covered in sweat and actually slightly tired, a sensation he hadn't felt in months.

"Please say we're done with this already," he panted, placing his hands on his knees and panting.

"One more thing. And it's not like you've got much else to do," the blond woman said, who didn't even look winded. He was obviously out of practice.

Trying to stop breathing so heavily he said, "What's left?"

Walking over to a mat in the center of the room and pulling her hair into a ponytail, Bobbi said, "Combat."

Ward's mouth turned upwards and devilish grin. It had been months and he was dying to hit something. He walked the few paces it took to meet Bobbi in the center of the room. She widened her stance and lifted up her fists in a ready position. She met his own grin with a sly smirk of her own. Ward suddenly got a bad feeling.

They circled one another and prepared for attack. Ward make the first move, swinging his arm towards Bobbi's face. She swiftly ducked so that all his fist found was open air. What's more, as she ducked, she swung her leg around, hoping to catch Grant's leg and knock him over. He wouldn't go down that easily. He jumped to avoid her leg and they again were left circling and waiting.

"Not bad, Hydra, but you're rusty," Bobbi told him.

Ward only shrugged in response, wanting to say how it was difficult to practice sparring when he'd spent the last 3 or so months 95% alone.

This time, Bobbi acted first. She swung around, her arm extended at a height that would've probably hit Ward straight the throat. It _probably_ would've hit him, if he hadn't blocked it that is. He could tell by the way Bobbi often swung her limbs that she was used to using a certain weapon. He had heard of an impressive agent that worked best with short metal staffs before...before Hydra had come out of the shadows.

Now wasn't the time for nostalgia. Nostalgia would get him a kick in a stomach or a fist in the face, neither of which he wanted.

Ward knew he could use her lack of familiar and usual weapon to his advantage. Her staffs had become an extension of her arms and without them, she could do well enough, but that didn't mean she wasn't handicapped by it.

As they worked their way through the dance Ward knew it would be choreographed just like every dance. Bobbi would kick, he'd block it. Grant would swing with his elbow, she'd duck. Both knowing that they could go on like this forever, they pulled out the big guns. Bobbi simultaneously tried to land a blow with her fist and with her other elbow. Ward managed to dodge one but not the other.

Her elbow caught his jaw and sent him flying backwards. He hit a concrete pillar and didn't have much time to register anything before Bobbi was back on him. Thinking back to his basic SHIELD training, he remembered the first thing he was taught. He blocked every punch and kick that Bobbi had to offer him while he was backed up against the wall. Ward managed to flip her around so that she was the one trapped against the wall.

With his forearm pressed against her throat he said, "Not to bad, eh?"

She tapped his arm twice, her sign to him that she had given up. He gave her a quizzical look, questioning it for a moment before releasing.

That was a mistake.

When Ward took a step back and released her, Bobbi gripped his arm like a vice. Flipping and using her full body weight, she managed to judo flip him.

She swung her head up to swing her hair out of her face, looking very much like a badass. While all Ward could do was lay on the ground and try to breath.

"Can't let your guard down," she said. Her expression was stone cold.

Ward hoped the face he was giving her was as sarcastic as the remark he was dying to say.

She smirked slightly finally, saying, "Not bad though, for being a little out of practice."

He only rolled his eyes..

/\/\/\/\/\

Ward was in the small room that they gave him, which was very simplistic and awfully barren. He had nothing to call his own besides the clothes in his drawers that fit him alright, but were obviously not made for him. He had not a single real possession, not even a knick knack to his name. It was an odd thing to long for, but it was something he found himself missing. When he was in Vault D it was the same, but it never seemed to affect him like it did now. Maybe because he suddenly felt so normal. Like a person again, and a person had possessions.

Well, besides him it seemed.

But his lack of things couldn't occupy this thoughts for very long. As he let his mind wander only one thought really stuck: Skye was gone. His beautiful girl was gone. Although, he guessed he had no right to call her "his" but it just seemed right. When he was training her, when she was still just a rookie, whenever she did something correct he praised her and he was only barely able to keep from saying, "That's my girl."

He had spent the whole day with Bobbi between debriefing and evaluation. That would mean Skye had been gone for four days, if she was even in the same time zone anymore.

If she was even alive.

_No, _he thought. He knew he needed to retain his hope. He was going to find her. He needed to. Without her, he was nothing.

Now that he thought about it, without her, he'd probably still be in Vault D right now. Coulson would never have given him a chance if Skye, who Ward was pretty sure he thought of as a daughter, had trusted him. Sure, not a lot, but she had trusted him. That was seemingly enough for Coulson.

All the more reason he needed to get her back. She was one of the few people in the world who trusted him anymore. He had a hunch that he was slowly winning Bobbi over today, but even she referred to him as "Hydra."

And without Skye that's all Ward would ever be to SHIELD.

Hydra scum.

* * *

**Oh my goodness I am so sorry this took FOREVER. Saying that it has been tiring and stressful couple of weeks for me is an understatement. But I do hope that this still proves my promise to you all that I will continue writing, but I probably won't have a set schedule until June. Until then I'll be updating when I can, an update for ITSTOM is coming next. I love you all, many or few. Review, favorite, and follow to make me smile :)**


	22. Chapter 22

**What time is it? Adventure time? Time to get a watch? Nope, it's time for a new chapter!**

Disclaimer: I don't own Agents of SHIELD or any of it's characters, although I wish I owned a monkey...and the Fitz that would come with it

* * *

The next day Ward mostly spent alone. Although he knew he could freely walk about the rooms he knew he was allowed into, he was too exhausted to deal with the lingering stares and whispers. News of him surely had spread by then and by that time, everyone probably knew about what he'd done. Hopefully no one knew the full story of it, but even knowing someone was Hydra was enough to deter most. When Hydra had stepped out of the shadows and had taken down SHIELD, many were betrayed by those they thought they knew. Tens of hundreds of agents were killed and injured and they weren't letting that go anytime soon.

Not that he could blame them of course.

While he was working with Garrett he knew the things he was doing were wrong but at the same time they felt right. Not in a killing-feels-right sort of way, but in a it's-the-only-option sort of way. When he was working solo it wasn't hard to lose himself in the work and forget that he was working for Hydra. And even when he did remember, he knew he wouldn't be betraying anyone in particular. But then of course that changed.

Coulson decided that he needed a specialist on his team of misfits. He took Ward away from what he was used to, being 100% of the solution, and threw him into a situation where he could only do so much. He tried to hate it for a long while, knowing that if he let himself get close to those on the Bus that it would only be that much harder to do his real job. But it was inevitable that they would all become close. That's what teams did.

Betraying Skye, betraying all of them, was the hardest thing he'd ever done. And that was saying a lot. They were the only real family he'd ever known, besides Garrett and perhaps Thomas.

Ward was encompassed in these thoughts for hours on end with nothing else to do. He thought about perhaps wandering the Playground's hallways and seeing if he could find Coulson or Bobbi to see if they could give him something to do but he quickly ruled out the idea. Though he never cared much for what others thought of him, he was too emotionally exhausted to deal with the judging eyes of others.

But he also felt restless. Counting the current day, Skye had now been gone for 5 days. How could someone so important to him be missing and he was laying on his bed? He'd never felt so useless.

"Uuuuuugggghhhhhh," he groaned.

"That was dramatic," a voice said from doorway.

Ward sat up quickly, surprised that he hadn't heard the figure approach. The body stepped out of the shadow of the doorway and came into the light. Ward found that it wasn't a stranger, but someone he was familiar with.

"Are you bored out of your mind yet?" Coulson's familiar voice asked.

It took Ward a moment to process what his old leader had said. He talked to Ward as if nothing had ever happened. And as much as Ward liked the feel of the casualty, he knew that Coulson was just this way. Casual.

Besides the suits.

"That depends," he responded. "Do you have something for me to do?"

His brow furrowed, as if it pained him to speak his next words. "I do, actually."

Ward responded by raising his eyebrows in question.

Clearing his throat, the man began. "As you know, I've been trying to rebuild SHIELD for sometime now. Recently I realized that we've actually gotten so large that we needed a director. The vote was almost unanimously me, besides Hunter, who voted for himself."

"Hunter?" Ward questioned.

"Lance Hunter. You'll meet him soon enough. But, as Director it's my job to handle missions and to make big decisions. Letting you out, giving you this slim chance, is one of the biggest risks I've taken so far. You've done so much harm to my team and I wasn't willing to give you a shred of hope. You're lucky Skye is fond of breaking the rules, or else I wouldn't even consider trusting you. But, she seems to, and that will be enough for me right now."

Ward already knew this. Skye seemed to make everything in his life easier, although her disappearance couldn't exactly be counted as that.

"And like I said, as Director I handle missions. Just like the one I plan on sending you on," Coulson stated.

"And what's this mission?" Ward questioned, although he would undoubtedly accept it.

"I know you want to get Skye back, I do too, but I need to know where your loyalties are first. I'm send you on something minor," he informed him.

"An 0-8-4?" Ward wondered. They'd done a lot of those before he'd left.

"Don't be ridiculous. An 0-8-4 is far too risky to be sending you on. I'm sending you on something I would've sent a level 2 agent on. A simple observe and report. Can you do that for me?" Coulson asked, the last part sounded very sarcastic, but Ward decided his best option was to ignore it.

"Of course, sir," Ward tried to reply short and quick, like a soldier. He thought that if he followed orders exactly like he was told, he might earn some trust back.

"When do I begin?" He asked.

Coulson lifted up his left wrist and checked the time his watch presented him. "11 hours, 0600. Someone will bring you gear, but you won't get a gun or an icer. Hunter, who'll be accompanying you, will have one though. And I've told him that he has permission to shoot you, should it be necessary. Be on your best behavior, Ward."

Grant almost perked up at his name being spoken. It was the first time Coulson had said it in months without disdain and loathing laced in the words. Of course, Ward didn't think he'd say it the way he did before Hydra's take over, but he was still making progress.

Coulson turned to leave the room, but Ward had one thing left to say. "Sir?"

He spin around, not saying anything but looking expectant.

"Thank you, for this chance. I won't let you down."

Coulson sighed. He looked exhausted and like he aged rapidly since their days on the Bus. "Ward," he began, "this chance isn't for you. It's for her. And please, Hydra or SHIELD, just call me Coulson."

Ward simply nodded and watched the man leave his room.

/\/\/\/\/\

"Fitz, you know I can't let you do this."

"You're not going to let me do anything, Jemma."

Usually they did most of their arguing in the lab, where they had the most of their disagreements. But, that day was different. They weren't in there lab, but heading towards one of the Playground's armories. At first, Jemma couldn't figure out why he'd wanted to go there. But, as she followed him, she heard gossiping whispers that reminded her of the news Coulson had recently delivered.

*EARLIER THAT DAY*

Jemma and Fitz were both startled by the knock at the door. Jemma glanced at the clock to discover that was now the early morning. She and Fitz must have fallen asleep the night before while they were talking. It had been like the good old days at SciTech, just talking for hours on Fitz's floor, drinking tea and discussing the papers and blueprints that lay in between them. Their harsh reality had slipped away.

It was back now.

They only had time to sit up from their spots on the floor before Coulson opened the door. Jemma expected him to be surprised to find both of them together, probably looking disheveled from sleep on the floor. Instead, he appeared unphased.

"Oh good, you're together. Less news delivery for me then."

Jemma perked up. "Is Skye back?"

She deflated at his answer.

"I said I had news," he spoke, "I never said it was good news."

Fitz's brow furrowed. "What is it?"

"It's Ward," he stated simply.

Jemma's mind raced with all of the possibilities that the statement held. Maybe he wanted to talk to them. Maybe he had tried to escape. Maybe he had escaped. While it took effort, she kept her mouth shut.

When he didn't continue, Fitz pressed on. "What..What about Ward?"

"We're going to rehabilitate him."

There was a pause, and then caos.

"-absolutely terrible-"

"-can't end well-"

"-the level of betrayal-"

"-isn't necessary."

The mix of the two scientist's speech made a jumbled mess of words. The overall message was clear though. What were you thinking?

"It's not up for discussion. It's already done. You don't have to come into contact with him, but you should know that he is living in the East wing. I've taken every necessary precaution, but I thought you both should know. What you do with the information now, is up to you."

*PRESENT*

"Wait a little longer, Fitz. This is too rash!" Jemma exclaimed, trying to convince the Scot.

He didn't turn toward her when he spoke. "I've thought about it all day, Jem. I need to do this."

Fitz swung open the armory door and went inside. But, when it came to what weapon he wanted to choose, he knew he couldn't rush.

"If I'm going to go see him, I'm not taking any chances," he said.

Jemma placed a hand on his shoulder from behind him. "It's not the weapon I'm questioning, Fitz. It's whether or not you should see him at all."

He turned to face her. When he spoke, his voice was gentle, but pleading. "I have to know. I… I need to know why he did that to us."

Her expression softened in pity. "Because he's Hydra, Fitz. That's the only answer you're going to find."

Fitz look her dead in the eye, more serious than he'd been in quite some time. "He was out friend. There's more to it than just Hydra."

Jemma sighed before grabbing an Icer, in favor of a real gun. With the barrel in her palm, she extended it out to him. Then, she picked up another and tucked it into her jeans, just below the small of her back.

"What are you doing?" Fitz questioned.

"I'm coming with you. You're not the only one who needs answers."

* * *

**Hey guys! Hope you enjoyed, and I also hoped you guys noticed HOW SIMILAR THIS WEEK'S EPISODE WAS TO THIS STORY. Like wow. What Daisy did with Lincoln is almost the same to what Skye did with Ward in this fic it's crazy. If you guys are up to date with the show, let me know your thoughts! See you next time. I love you all, many or few.**


	23. Chapter 23

**Whoops forgot write for a while. Hi. Did ya miss me?**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Agents of SHIELD or any of it's characters, although I wish I owned a monkey...and the Fitz that would come with it**

* * *

Ward knew there was a problem from the moment he heard a knock on the door. The last time Coulson had visited him, only a few hours previously, he hadn't knocked at all. Given, the door had been ajar slightly, but most people would've knocked anyway. This meant that whoever was on the other side of that door wasn't Coulson, and could be any number of different people. Although he was hesitant, he straightened up and opened the door.

He found that what was on the other side was not one person, but two. Two very familiar, very serious looking Brits.

"Fitzsimmons," Grant said in surprise.

"Ward," stated Fitz, devoid of emotion.

They say that the first thing you forget about someone is their voice. Ward found that this was true for most people, but not Fitz. Grant had nightmares about it while he was imprisoned. He and Fitz would be playing a board game on the Bus, like the good old days, and suddenly Fitz would look up and smile, but the words coming out of his mouth didn't match his expression. They were last words he said to Grant before he released the storage container into the ocean. About he was their friend. Those words literally haunted him, and Fitz's voice and accent rang clearly in them.

Ward wasn't sure if he should invite the pair of them in or wait to see if what they wanted to say to him would only require the doorway. To test it, he shifted back slightly, to see if the Brits thought he was going to invite them in. He found that when he shifted backwards, they shifted forwards, so he took the hint and said, "Please, come in."

The two of them entered the barren room and stood awkwardly in the center of it. There were only three pieces of furniture in the room: a bed, a small desk and chair, and a dresser. Clearly, it was a room suited for one, because there was really only one place for someone to sit. But, it was also clear that Fitzsimmons had come to his room with a purpose, not that he thought they'd visit him without one.

"So…," Ward began hesitantly, "what's this about?"

While time had changed them all, Fitzsimmons couldn't break old habits. Both of them began speaking at the same time. Their words overlapped so much that Grant could only make out a few phrases here and there from either person, having only the vaguest sense of what they were saying.

He raised his hands, palms facing the pair, trying to get them to stop the madness. "Hey, hey. Slow down."

He would say, "One at a time." But a part of him knew that simply wasn't possible.

They glanced at each other, and then at him, the whole thing in sync. As though through some unspoken agreement in that silent language they had, Fitz began.

"We have questions, and you've got answers."

Ward hesitated. The questions they could possibly want to ask were the ones he simply never wanted to answer. Even what he had asked them to himself, he avoided the thought immediately afterward. He looked at them with an expressionless face that he wasn't confident in his ability to maintain.

"Yes?"

Fitz looked at him with the most hopeless expression and Ward's heart sank. If Fitz didn't believe in him, how could anyone else?

"Why-why did you do it? I thought we were your friends," Fitz said, his accent growing thicker, although Ward couldn't place why.

"You were," Ward strained, "you are. I just… I was lost and angry and Garrett took advantage of that. I was just following the requests of the person I looked up to most."

Simmons's gaze hardened. "You're an adult, Ward. A full-functioning, mildly intelligent human capable of metacognition and making decisions for yourself. I know you have morals, and honor. What the hell happened to those that day? You tried to kill us!"

The more and more she spoke the more anger and desperation were laced with her words and she just kept getting louder and louder. So loud, and so angry, that Grant flinched at the final sentence."

Ward's eyes were cast downwards as he spoke. "The pod was the only way I could think of to get rid of you without eliminating the possibility that you had a shot at survival. I needed Garrett to no longer see you as a threat."

"It didn't matter if he-he viewed us as a threat or not! He couldn't try to kill us because you had already gotten the job done!" it was Fitz yelling this time. It was plain to see that his own stuttering was making him angrier

There was a long moment of silence, startlingly different from the loud shouts that had been present just a moment before.

"I know that no matter the explanation I give you, you'll never forgive me. But please, know that in my heart and mind that was the fastest and, really, the only, way I could think of to save you. I never wanted to hurt you," Ward said, and paused, because his voice broke. The guy who was supposed to be the muscle, the tough one, was on the verge of tears. After a few moments, he continued. "In those few months, you guys, the team, became my family. And I hated it. Working alone made it a lot easier to know I'd have to betray SHIELD one day, but being with you guys made it so much harder. When Garrett came back, he was checking on me. Checking my loyalty to Hydra, and to him. Inside, I immediately turned back into my old self, the one that thought they owed Garrett everything. I still kind of feel that way now, too. It was how I was feeling when I did that terrible thing to the two of you."

After his somewhat-speech, there was more silence. Ward wasn't sure how long it lasted, but it felt like a long time before Simmon's spoke.

"What exactly do you mean, 'How I was feeling'?"

He sighed and locked his eyes on the ground before answering. "I felt like it was my only option. I see now, that I could've done something, _anything_ else, but it's too late."

Fitzsimmons looked at him in the exact same way. Like they were working on a difficult equation or problem. Finally, Jemma straightened up and cleared the empty space with her words.

"Ward, I know that things will never be the same between us, I'm unsure as to if I ever want to see you again, but I know one thing."

There was no sound while she paused. She turned up her nose in that very British, very Simmons way. "I forgive you."

Ward thought he could feel his heart _actually swell_. His face lit up in a brilliant smile and he wasn't sure he would ever forget that moment.

"Thank you," was all he could muster without losing his cool.

Fitz's face hardened, clearly he hadn't been expecting that. He cleared his throat and mumbled an, "I'm still getting there."

Ward knew that was all he could ask for.

They left with awkward goodbyes and some more thanks from Grant. And with that, it was all over.

* * *

**Hey, sorry I've waited for so long. Somer serious writer's block going on. But, we've got this.**


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